Planning & Booking

What is the application process?

Once you’ve submitted an application form for your chosen walk, we’ll arrange a time to chat. This is your opportunity to learn more about us — and ours to learn more about you and what you’re looking to get out of the experience. If we all agree it’s a good fit and we offer you a place, we’ll ask you to pay a deposit to accept place, with the balance due within 30 days of acceptance.

How do you select participants?

If there’s one essential quality that our participants share, it’s a sense of wonder about what might emerge on the trail. They also have a willingness to engage with whatever comes up with courage and compassion. And because this is a group experience, the desire to engage with other group members from a place of respect, vulnerability and impartiality is key.

Beyond this, we think carefully about group dynamics, considering how different people might support, challenge, and enrich one another, and the group as a whole.

Will I know who else is in my group?

We make the list of participants available after everyone’s place is confirmed.

I’m a member of the LGBTQIA+ community. Am I welcome?

We’re a queer-run business, so absolutely. Japanese culture tends to be a little more conservative in relation to diversity of gender and sexuality; however in our experience, we have been treated with the same respect and courtesy with which we approach our hosts and their country.

What is the cancellation policy?

Cancellations may be made for a full refund (minus processing fees) up to 120 days before start of the trip. Please refer to our Terms, Conditions & Eligibility Criteria for full details.

How often do these walks run?

Twice a year — once in spring and once in autumn — to take advantage of optimal hiking temperatures on the Kii peninsula.

Where is the meeting point and how do I get there?

We meet in Tokyo, with an overnight stay included on the first night. This makes it easy for everyone to arrive, settle in, and begin together. We recommend flying into Haneda Airport, and your Resource Pack will include detailed instructions.

What's included in the price?

• 8 day / 10 night guided pilgrimage with 7 other participants, and 2 facilitators

• 1-on-1 and group calls with the Seinoza facilitators before and after the pilgrimage to support intention setting, reflection, and integration

• The opportunity for continued long-term support and connection with the Seinoza community

• Light, guided group and individual practices along the path to support connection and exploration

• Shinkansen high-speed rail transfers to the pilgrimage route

• Resource pack to help prepare for the trip, including packing list

• Luggage forwarding so that you can minimise pack weight

• Shared accommodation in a variety of traditional and modern lodgings

• Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Which languages are used during the pilgrimage?

We facilitate the group in English, while Japanese translation will be provided by the guides.

What if something comes up and I can’t join at the last minute?

Due to the need to arrange bookings and accommodations well in advance, last minute cancellations are very disruptive, and unfortunately we cannot refund in that situation. Travel insurance to cover last-minute cancellations is essential. See our Terms, Conditions & Eligibility Criteria for details.

Preparing for the Walk

Do I need prior international or backpacking experience?

Not at all. We meet in easily navigable Tokyo, and from there you’ll be accompanied by our guides, who handle logistics and Japanese-language communication. No backpacking required — your luggage is forwarded. That said, you should be reasonably fit and comfortable walking up to 15mi / 24km in a day with a small 5-7 Kg pack.

How should I train beforehand?

If you’re already active, you may not need much training. But we recommend doing at least three 20km walks on varied terrain in the month before the trip. Most importantly, wear the shoes you’ll be bringing — and break them in thoroughly.

If you feel like you’d benefit from more training before you begin, trust your wisdom.

What gear or equipment do I need?

Your Resource Pack includes a full list, but key items include:

• A small pack of ~20 L capacity

• Comfortable walking shoes with good tread

• A rain jacket

• Snacks, water, and any personal essentials

• Hiking poles can be helpful for uphill and downhill sections

What do I need to organise for myself?

More detail is contained within our Resource Pack, but you are responsible for:

• Travel to and from Japan

• Travel insurance

• Any personal equipment

• Cash for incidentals and snacks

• Accommodation before and after the trip if required

• Onward transportation at the conclusion of the pilgrimage in Kumano City

What insurance do I need?

This depends on your home country. Please arrange travel insurance that covers hiking trips.

How do I get a visa?

For many nationalities, Japan offers visa-free access. Check here for the requirements for your country: Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Life on the Trail

What is a usual day like?

We rise early in the morning and share breakfast together, along with any briefings and group activities.

Until lunchtime, you’ll be free to walk in connection, or in quiet reflection, with one guide leading the group, and one following up behind. We’ll stop in at places of special significance along the way, including lookouts, shrines, and other places of natural beauty, and where it’s supportive, engage in some guided experiences.

Lunch will either be picnic-style and provided by the previous night’s accommodation, or we’ll stop at a convenience store for provisions. Some days, we might stop in at a cafe for a light meal.

The afternoons are a repeat of the mornings until we arrive at our lodgings for the evening. At this point, you’re free to explore the local area, soak in a hot bath, connect with the group, or spend time alone.

Dinner will be shared with the group, as will any activities, before retiring for the night.

Are there rest days?

Not exactly, but the route is carefully designed to ease us in with lighter days at the beginning, as well as shorter days at the end, to provide space for recovery and integration.

What if it rains?

We walk! Rain jackets at the ready.

How do we handle luggage?

We work with a local luggage-forwarding service which will be available every 3 - 4 days. This means you’ll only carry a light pack of ~5-7 Kg

What are the risks and dangers?

• Bears: They exist, but sightings are extremely rare. We take standard precautions.

• Falls and sprains: The path varies in terrain and can be slippery when wet.

• Constipation: Yes, really. A lower-fibre Japanese diet can be a shock to the digestive system — bring fibre supplements if needed.

I have specific dietary requirements. Can they be accommodated?

It’s usual in Japan for hosts to provide a set meal for breakfast and dinner that consists of various small dishes of meat, raw and cooked fish, small amounts of fruit and vegetables, miso soup, and rice.

If you have specific dietary requirements, please contact us for more information.

What are the sleeping arrangements like?

Our accommodations can range from traditional ryokans and simple guesthouses, to cabins on campgrounds, to more traditional, western-style hotels. They are always clean and well-maintained and bedding will either be futons on the floor or beds.

Rooms will either be twin-share or group-share, and we’re not able to accommodate single rooms, or other specific requests for sleeping arrangements.

Can I drink / smoke / do drugs?

Our walks are drug and alcohol free.

You’re welcome to smoke so long as this doesn’t impact those around you.

Please note that Japan has some of the strictest anti-drug laws in the world, and possession usually results in a multi-year prison sentence.

What if I have medications that require refrigeration or other special care?

The carriage and care of your medications will be your responsibility.

What happens if I get injured?

Kalia and Drew are trained in wilderness first aid and carry a first aid kit at all times. In the event of serious injury or illness, we have plans in place to get you to the nearest medical facility quickly.

We'll be walking through rural Japan, but the emergency services are extremely efficient and organised.

About Seinoza

What does Seinoza mean?

It’s the Japanese word for “a place of stars”.

Who are Kalia and Drew?

Kalia works as a director and principal engineer at a satellite company, where insights from ancient pilgrimage routes prove surprisingly relevant to their day job.

A sabbatical a decade ago took them thru-hiking the John Muir Trail and through Peru, Bolivia, Japan, and India—but then somehow the next ten years slipped by in the careful maintenance of a life that had buried their heart under layers of control.

After decades of trying to logic their way into spiritual understanding, they discovered in 2024 that connected work in relationship was much more effective, not to mention fun. Beginning a walk with Drew as an avowed materialist, they left completely transformed, and carrying self-discoveries that continue to unfold.

They bring their love of hiking, languages, and logistics to this work, while slowly learning to let go of control and leave space for magic.

Currently Kalia lives in Austin, Texas with their husband Doug, two children, a rapidly dwindling number of fish, and a fierce resistance to acquiring any more pets.

Drew is a recovering car designer and management consultant who spent close to 20 years helping clients develop new products and services.

After two major burnouts, divorce, addiction, and 17 years spent moving around the world/running away from his problems, he started the long journey home to himself in 2020.

Since then, he’s dedicated himself to self-exploration through various modalities, and in 2024 answered the call to be of service, as a coach and facilitator, to others in the midst of life’s big transitions.

Based in Sydney, Australia, he shares his home with Chris, his husband, and Bo, their street-bred Russian Blue.

How did this all start?

Kalia and Drew met in 2024, when they became paired up as practice partners in Art of Accomplishment’s Master Class.

During one particular exercise, each took turns asking for their empowered wants.

Drew asked Kalia to show him the view outside their hotel room in typhoon-stricken Taiwan. They agreed.

Kalia asked Drew to sing for them. He refused, and still does.

Back and forth they went, until Kalia asked Drew if they could join him on the pilgrimage he had planned to take in Japan later that year. And he agreed.

Over 10 days of walking, talking, sharing space, and learning vicariously about the vagaries of one another’s digestive tracts, their hearts broke open time and time again, revealing more and more of their essential nature.

By the end of the walk, plans were already being laid for what is now known as Seinoza, the work that we want to bring to the world.

If you want to read Drew’s pop-up newsletter from that walk, click here.

Why are we doing this?

Perhaps the better question is How could we not?

That was the question that Drew put to Kalia on the cliffs of Mendocino, CA, in April of 2025, when our work on Seinoza started in earnest.

Pilgrimage represents a different kind of work to what they’ve experienced in residential intensives, such as the Hoffman Process, or Art of Accomplishment’s Groundbreakers.

It’s not that it’s necessarily less intense, nor any less impactful, but the intensity comes differently, catalysed by movement, slipping into conversation with others, and out into solitude, and connecting with the world around us. As Drew likes to say the work is the walk, and the walk is the work.

It’s this — the opportunity to connect to self through gently connecting with others and the natural environment over an extended period of time — that Drew and Kalia felt called to share with the world.

Other curiosities

What if I feel uncomfortable with the Shinto rituals?

No worries. Participation is always optional. We ask only for cultural respect, which we'll outline in the Resource Pack. Shinto has no dogma, scripture, or requirements for ritual participation. Visitors are welcome to observe or join in its customs, which center on harmony with nature and recognizing the sacred spirits that inhabit specific places and natural features. You're free to engage at whatever level feels comfortable for you.

Is this going to be woo?

While we include a few gentle practices to open, deepen, and close the experience, how you engage is entirely up to you. One of our guiding principles is Leave space for magic. That spirit is carried over into how we will spend our days on the trail.

Is this culturally appropriative?

It's a question we take seriously, with care, and with humility.

The pilgrimage routes we walk have long histories of welcoming travellers from all backgrounds, and while the Ise-ji is rooted in Japanese spiritual traditions, it's a path that is open to respectful participation by all.

We don't pretend to teach or represent Japanese culture. Instead, we walk as guests guided by respect, reverence, and the way in which the magic of the Ise-ji resonates within us.

In this way, our intention is to honour the traditional of Japanese pilgrimage, not appropriate it.

What if I don’t feel “spiritual”?

You don’t have to be. This is not a religious experience. It’s a space to be with yourself — wherever you are — while walking alongside others.