This page allows payment of the $1000 deposit for the Mottainai Retreat 2026
A separate link will be made available for the balance of payment.
Mottainai Retreat May 2026 Sample Outline and Schedule
Our tag line for the retreat is ‘yutori no aru seikatsu’ . Yutori is a wonderful concept – which can be translated as ‘room to breathe’ or ‘spaciousness’. It goes beyond physical space to mental and emotional space. In this retreat, we aim to create yutori in a number of ways:
By being resident in Niigata for ten days. No packing and moving, less hustle and bustle.
By spaciousness in our schedule. We will have seven days with ‘making’ sessions . Our making days will run from 9:30 -3:30. Three days where we will make some wider explorations in Niigata together.
Our making days
Mottainai is the Japanese principle of treasuring and respecting, of not wasting. In craft terms, this can mean using every scrap of silk or cotton or paper, honouring the original makers as we reuse, recycle and respect. As modern makers, it is a source of creative joy and freedom to let these materials and principle lead us.
There are a number of techniques and projects we will work on through our time in Niigata. As these projects all embrace the spirit of mottainai, using traditional methods and giving new life to old fabrics, paper and more, we see them as processes carried out over the time, rather than short, sharp workshops. So you will see in the daily schedule headings such as Sakiami 1 and Sakiami 2, spread some days apart, as we re-engage at different stages of the making. None of these items is a quick ‘make and take’, but equally none are impossibly technical. They use materials and methods of traditional homes and farmsteads, shared by families and communities over years. We will be led in the making by Akiko Ike and her wonderful community or chiku-chiku kai (lit. a hand stitching group but these wonderful women are skilled in all manner of crafts).
Locations
Making days will take place at one of two locations:
Niigata Ginka Mokukindo: This is the homebase, shop and workshop space of Akiko Ike in the Furumachi district of Niigata city.
Naya: Akiko Ike’s reclaimed farmstead out near the coast of Niigata, at Echizenhama. In the extensive display space, you can experience her own extraordinary textile works. With large workspaces, onsite kitchen, tables made from miso barrels, and surrounding garden and village, it is a beautiful restorative space.
Projects/techniques
Sakiami
Reusing worn silk kimono and underkimono through tearing into strips and knitting. Ikkanbari/kakishibu dyeing
Ikkanbari is a traditional Japanese craft technique where Japanese paper (washi) is layered over a framework of wood or bamboo, then coated with persimmon tannin (kakishibu) for strength and durability.
Aizome
Shuji and Alison will run a day of indigo dyeing, focusing particularly on sekka shibori techniques as traditionally used for nappies (many of which are beautifully re-used by Ike-san in her work). We will dye a number of sarashi lengths - some for use in a chiku-chiku project
Chiku-chiku/hand stitching/simple sashiko
Chiku-chiku is the Japanese onomatopeia for the sound and movement of a needle and thread through fabric - and broadly describes simple handstitching. Akiko Ike is renowned for her boro chiku-chiku style - dense all over handstitching of boro fabric (worn-out, old fabric). She will teach us the technique, using her bespoke cotton threads and special needles - and over time we will make an indigo-dyed tote and a small pochette of vintage fabrics. You will have the chance to see and learn from Ike-san’s large collection of antique folk textiles The plan leaves plenty of time to relax and continue your making at our accommodation or nearby cafes if you wish – our sakiami (knitting with kimono silk) and chikuchiku (handstitching) projects lend themselves to leisurely time.
Mottainai Retreat May 2026 Draft Outline |
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Day 1 Arrival and Welcome Dinner We meet in the lobby of our hotel in Ginza, ready to enjoy our welcome dinner, and perhaps a Ginza stroll. |
May 3 |
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Day 2 Visit to Sugamo Market Sugamo is very typical ‘shitamachi’ district (traditional area populated over time by merchants, artisans, and working-class people). The main street there is fondly referred to as ‘Obaachan no Harajuku’ - grandma’s Harajuku. Rather than the regular Harajuki of teen fashion, this is a neighbourhood of the requirements of older Japanese - clothing, traditional remedies, and a shrine where you can cure your ailments and sore joints! We are lucky enough to be able to visit on a day when the street market is on. There are some second hand goods and textiles, homewares, pickles and all the other delights of a Japanese market. These stalls run down the main street, which has its own fascinating shops, including a couple of great clothes stores selling traditional farm pants and jackets, modern ‘japonesque’ clothes in gorgeous fabrics and sometimes clothes remade from vintage fabrics. We will have time to wander, find lunch and just enjoy the atmosphere of the lovely Sugamo folks. Visit to Nihon Mingeikan In the afternoon we will travel across Tokyo to the Mingeikan or Japan Folkcrafts Museum. Founded in the 1930s by Yanagi Soetsu, it is a key site for understanding mingei, or folkcrafts - and a very beautiful and special space. On the day of our visit, there is a special exhibition Mingei, Unintentional Beauty curated by the new director of the Museum Naoto Fukusawa (the noted designer and author who was the Design Director of Muji). There will be time to see this, the regular collections and enjoy the grounds and very select small shop. We will then head back to Ginza and our hotel so you can head out to find dinner and enjoy the delights of the GInza evening. If you have stationery needs, we are close to the legendary Ito-ya and a LOFT. The largest Muji store in Tokyo is nearby too with its osn gallery on the top floor, currently hosting a Yunoki Samiro exhibition, closing at 9pm!. |
May 4 |
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Day 3 Travel morning to Niigata and time to find lunch in the glorious snow country shopping arcades surrounding Niigata Ginka Mokukindo. In the afternoon we will begin our sakiami project - learning to tear old silk kimono fabric into strips, and casting on our vests. We’ll have dinner together a short stroll from our hotel to celebrate the start of Niigata sojourn. |
May 5 |
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Day 4 We travel by minibus to Naya - this will take around 50-60 minutes depending on traffic. We’ll start the process of Ikkanbari, preparing our basket and bowl. Remember to bring your sakiami with you as well, in case there is some time to sit in the sun and knit a few rows. We have invited a master soba maker, Kiyono-san, to come and make our lunch , so it will be a great chance to see the very difficult technique of making soba with 100% buckwheat flour (generally a percentage of wheat flour is used as the gluten makes noodle making much easier). But the taste of pure buckwheat noodles is in another class altogether. We’ll travel back to town by 5pm, leaving you time to explore Niigata, dine and relax. |
May 6 |
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Day 5 Excursion to Hoppō Bunka Hakubutsukan (Museum of Northern Culture) We’ll travel to the far edge of Niigata city to enjoy this beautiful historic villa and gardens, now a museum celebrating the lifeways of the snow country. We’ll have a couple of hours to explore and then head back towards town. You might like to have coffee at the museum and then lunch in town. The bus will stop at Niigata Station and then Bandai Bus Centre (about 15 minutes walk from our hotel), so you can decide where to hop off for your free afternoon. |
May 7 |
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Day 6 Aizome (indigo dyeing) at Naya In between our dyeing we’ll take a trip to a favourite cafe of Ike-san’s for lunch and enjoy the much loved ‘soup curry’. We’ll travel back to town by 5pm, leaving you time to explore Niigata, dine and relax. |
May 8 |
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Day 7 Ikkanbari 2 at Naya We continue the process of making our baskets - but will also have time to knit, drink cuppas, check on our indigo dyeing. We’ll make lunch together with Ike-san and her friends, learning delicious, simple Japanese home cooking. We’ll travel back to town by 5pm, leaving you time to explore Niigata, dine and relax. |
Fri May 9 |
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Day 8 Excursion: road trip with ike-san to an echigo jofu textile gallery, art museum, vintage and antique shop, cafe and more! |
May 10 |
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Day 9 Free day to explore Niigata town. Perhaps try a river cruise, enjoy the magnificent musem and gallery, or just relax with coffee, a good book, and your stitching |
May 11 |
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Day 10 Tenugui bag & hat, chiku-chiku bag at Mokukindo We’ll walk up to Mokukindo to spend a happy day of making. We’ll learn how to use Japan’s all-purpose wonder cloth, the tenugui, to make a bag, a work or sauna hat - and so much more! We’ll start a chiku-chiku pochette and just generally enjoy a relaxed day in town. There’ll be time to go and find lunch in the surrounding shotengai - covered shopping arcade. In the evening we’ll walk together to enjoy a group meal at Tsubame-Sanjo Bit, a restaurant well-known for its relaxed Italian cooking, using the best of Niigata produce. |
May 12 |
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Day 10 Ikkanbari 3 and Kakishibu dyeing at Naya We’ll travel out to Naya and immerse ourselves in persimmon tannin dyeing of both fabric and to finish our baskets and bowls. Our lunch break will be to a nearby cafe/bakery/store/winery complex for a relaxed seasonal plate lunch. We’ll travel back to town by 5pm, leaving you time to explore Niigata, dine and relax. |
May 13 |
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Day 11 Excursion to Tsubame-Sanjou We’ll take a half day trip to the nearby town of Tsubame-Sanjou, famous for its metalwork all over Japan (and indeed the world - the cutlery for the Nobel banquets is made here). We’ll start at the Museum, which gives a lovely insight to the craft forms practiced in the region over hundreds of years. Then we’ll hop on the community bus to the Regional Promotions Centre (terrible name!) - but the absolute best place to see, get expert advice and purchase if you wish a range of knives, kitchenware, scissors from all Japan’s top designers and makers. 90% of all Japanese knives and cutlery are made in this area. The Centre is also a ‘Michi-no-Eki’ or ‘roadside station’ - a place that brings local products, produce and food together for travellers. So there will be delightful lunch options! We’ll make our way back to Niigata early afternoon, leaving free time for your wider Niigata explorations. |
May 14 |
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Day 12 Sakiami 2, Aizome Bag We’ll walk up to Mokukindo to spend a happy day of making. A chance to focus on/finish the sakiami vest with Yanagisawa - san’s expert assistance, and to use the machines there to sew the aizome tote together. It will be a last opportunity to explore the shotengai for lunch and shopping - Ike-san will take us to a favourite local fabric store too! In the evening we’ll enjoy a last Niigata meal together of local produce at Farm Table Suzu - gorgeous cooking and atmosphere to wrap up our time in this very special prefecture. |
May 15 |
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Day 13 Travel and Mottainai Presentation We travel to Tokyo on a morning shinkansen. We have a very special afternoon at the home of Amy Katoh. Long time proprietor of Tokyo’s legendary Blue and White Shop, she is an expert on Japanese country textiles, folkcraft and ways of being. She is a collector and interpreter of folk textiles and one of the first to bring the concept of ‘mottainai’ to the wider world. She is curating a special presentation of some of her collection for us, focusing on a deeper understanding of, and joy in, ‘mottainai’. With our heads spinning with blue and white and time with Amy, we’ll wend our way up to our hotel in Ueno. That evening we’ll take a short taxi ride to our farewell dinner overlooking Asakusa and the Sumida River. |
May 16 |
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Day 14 After our last breakfast , it’s sadly time to check out and part. As we are close to Ueno Park you can head straight to the incredible museums, galleries and gardens to continue your adventures if you wish. |
May 17 |