Jomon Ancestral Circle

Experience a 4-night, 5-day ancestral pilgrimage retreat held in a forest sanctuary near Osaka, Japan, located on land deeply connected to the ancient Jomon civilization.

Archaeological findings in this area include Jomon pottery dating back approximately 5,400 years, as well as traces of much older settlements believed to have been inhabited by early Jomon people over 13,000 years ago. This land has long been a place of human presence, reverence, and relationship with nature.

Surrounded by bamboo groves and woodland, Jomon Matama offers a rare opportunity to slow down and immerse yourself in a landscape where ancient values of harmony, gratitude, and reverence for life are still felt as a living presence rather than a concept.

The retreat unfolds as a gradual pilgrimage — moving between stillness and movement, silence and sound, ritual and daily life. Through mindful walking, body practices, chanting, creative rituals, shared meals, and time spent in conscious relationship with the land, participants are gently guided back to their natural rhythm.

Jomon Matama is also located within what is traditionally known as the Kinki Five-Pointed Star, a sacred geographical formation connecting some of Japan’s most revered spiritual sites, including Ise Grand Shrine, Mt. Ibuki, Moto-Ise, Izanagi Shrine, and Kumano Taisha. This star-shaped alignment is often regarded as a protective spiritual field, holding the land in balance and continuity.

This retreat is intentionally kept small to honor the sacred nature of the land and to allow for depth, presence, and shared awareness. It is a non-religious retreat, open to people of all backgrounds, offering a rare opportunity to experience Japan not as a destination, but as a living lineage of earth-based wisdom.