道場 (dojo) means a place (場）of/for the path (道）also known to the West as "dao". Our Dojo is in the early stages of development as a place of practice, and a place of nonviolent/peace activists to gather near Tokyo, but just far enough to be surrounded by rice paddies and the ocean.



In 2018, we experimented with our first residential internship program for Japanese. We had three spots that were filled up with nine people, including a family of five (and two goats). As everything is quite unstructured and organic at the Dojo, it was quite a challenging experiment for all of us, but the learning and growth was priceless.

Things we explored (a sample) ...

• simple living e.g. building your own dwelling, cooking with fire and sun, washing by hand (including cloth diapers for two), eating almost completely locally, etc

• community dynamics and nonviolent communication: how to be authentic, empathetic, and live harmoniously with those who have different perspectives (vegan/non-vegan, toddler/children/20s/30s/40s, single/family, urban/rural, etc)

• systems thinking and design: community is a system and operates differently than individuals

• permaculture, natural farming, and ecological regeneration: how to heal the land (and ourselves) and live as part of the ecosystem

• mindfulness: living in the present moment, engaging with the internal landscape

• gift economy: living in service, being in alignment with the ecosystem, and having awareness of when things are not a "gift" (like feeling we are pressured to give). Exploring the difference with capitalism through our head, heart, and hands

• social change: our relationship to the larger society and our cultural inheritance, roles, and possible contributions in a time of instability

It was an extremely challenging process, especially in the realm of emotions, but I feel such experiences are invaluable and help us grow in ways that modern society rarely offers. AND extremely rewarding (although it's not for the rewards that we do this work).

This year (2019) we are doing a five-month internship with four residents. We also have more and more people moving to the area (Isumi, Chiba) involved in running the Dojo and using the Dojo. The program is always evolving, and we are still experimenting with how to pay for rent and our relationship to money.

Slowly, we will grow our capacity to support more people in their practice.

Thank you, all, for the continued insights and inspiration. It was a delight to reconnect with so many of you in Europe last month, as I'm still joyfully remembering my time together and sowing those seeds in rural Japan.