Maana Homes Pottery Retreat, Kyoto, Japan

drawn together from across the world, we soon found rhythm in the quiet in-between with maana homes and kyoto research institute ————- wholesome conversations, shared meals, and the simple poetry of working with our hands.

a pause from daily life. a gentle return to ourselves. time stretched and softened. a space to slow, to create, to remember what truly matters.

in masahiko’s studio, clay and silence breathe together. the scent of earth and wood smoke. born the second son of a potter, he spoke of listening. to the soil, to the seasons, to the unseen stories held within the land of tamba. we learned the rhythm of clay. how it is gathered, aged, and prepared. how the hands remember long before the mind does.

andrew shared his quiet wonder. a scientist’s curiosity folded into an artist’s soul. he spoke of the alchemy of ash, how remnants and accidents become glazes that shimmer with life. beauty, he reminded us, often begins in what was once overlooked.

later, in the countryside, with beautiful masako we experienced the warmth of shichirin-yaki. a rare and intimate firing, turning earth to art, imperfection to meaning. a vessel to carry home.

and then, tea with hosai. a ceremony of stillness. we moved from kiln to kiln, from hand to heart, gathering fragments of beauty that will now always be a part of our life story.

a retreat, yes.
but more so, a quiet return. to the land. to creation. to the joy of being human.