Seinoza
Walk into the life you want
Guided Pilgrimages on Japan's Kumano Kodo Iseji
For people seeking space to walk, reflect, and connect.
You’ve arrived at a threshold.
It might be a beginning. Or, perhaps, an ending. Or maybe you just need to come up for air.
Built around the simple ritual of walking day after day, pilgrimage offers us the space to be with what’s happening now, so that what comes next might emerge.
Upcoming Kumano Kodo Walks
Oct 31 — Nov 9, 2026
Iseji Pilgrimage Trail
Ise Peninsula, Japan
10 days · 7 walking days · Up to 8 pilgrims · Avg. 11 mi / 18 km per walking day · Meet in Tokyo
Join Kal and Drew as they return to the Kumano Kodo Iseji. Bring the year to a close with seven days of intentional walking across the Kii Peninsula.
An experience where the walking is the work, and the work is walking.
What happens when you move through the world with intention?
What do you notice about your environment? The people you move with? Yourself?
We walk with attention — to the landscape, to each other, and to what’s happening within. Along the way, we create space for solitude and conversation, reflection and ritual. And how the experience moves you? That’s up to you.
You don’t need to be a seasoned hiker or a spiritual seeker — just willing to walk in wonder and see what emerges.
And so, we walk.
Days follow a simple rhythm: we leave early after breakfast, tracing a river along the valley floor, or the coast as it shimmers under a rising sun.
The smell of Japanese cedar is never far away, inviting us deep into the forest and up over mountain passes.
Underfoot, ancient stone paths carry us, as they have pilgrims for a thousand years.
Shrines invite us to take a moment. So do the tiny cafés, where a coffee, a snack, or simply a welcoming smile can recharge a weary walker.
Come evening, we’ll share a meal together. Sometimes it’s a side of tuna, simply grilled over an open straw fire. Another night might offer a traditional kaiseki meal of the freshest seasonal produce.
Before long, the bath will call to ease weary muscles. And after that, bed, for perhaps the deepest sleep you’ve had in a good, long while.
We take care of the details, so you can turn up and walk.
Some challenges are meaningful. Others are just distractions. We look after the latter so that you can enjoy the former.
No worrying about how to navigate Shinagawa Station, where you’re going to sleep, how you’re going to order dinner, or whether your luggage made it to the next inn.
We arrange your accommodation, luggage forwarding, meals, and the logistics of moving from place to place.
Leave all of that with us.
All that’s left is to gather, walk, connect, and reflect.
Before you depart:
We’ll help you prepare, with a comprehensive briefing pack, support as you get trail-fit, and group calls to answer any outstanding questions.
The journey starts before you arrive in Tokyo.
While we’re together:
In Tokyo, we explore simple practices for listening more deeply, speaking more openly, and building genuine connection through conversation.
Each day, we gather to reflect and share. Along the trail, there’s time to walk together and time to walk alone.
After you return home:
Once you’re home, we come together again to reflect on the experience and what you’re carrying forward.
And, of course, the connections you’ve made along the way are yours to continue.
Your hosts
Seinoza — Japanese for “a place of stars” — is the creation of Kal Crowder and Drew Smith, born from a shared love of pilgrimage, Japan, and the connection that can emerge when people walk together.
Kal’s background is in the space between the stars. As a satellite systems engineer, he makes sure the satellites above us stay connected to one another, and to us here on Earth. That same attention to detail and logistical nous helps keep us on track down here.
Drew is a coach and facilitator who works with people navigating change and questions of what comes next. He brings a fascination with human connection, conversation and the ways we find our way when the path ahead isn’t obvious.
Both are experienced long-distance walkers and pilgrims, and have spent years exploring and training in practices that deepen awareness, conversation and connection. Together, they bring those experiences to Seinoza — without losing sight of the simple thing at its heart: walking together through Japan.
Perhaps it’s time to walk
Our next Kumano Kodo Iseji pilgrimage begins October 31, 2026. Eight places. Seven days of walking.