Was a great success! As I mentioned I was skeptical of whether I could get anybody at all to come along with me for a while. Once I started focusing on what I did want (a full retreat), I stopped worrying about what I didn't want and slowly 3 women decided to join me!
Now we are all on our way home again, I'm amazed at how well it turned out. I'm writing this to you on the plane, even but I will post it once I get home.
Okinawa Top Tip
Get a rental car.
They are extremely cheap! Ours was less than ¥10,000 for two days. Okinawa is fairly easy to navigate, too.
We drove up to our beach side hotel in Onna Son. It had a private protected beach as well as a pool. Onna is where some of the biggest, most luxurious hotels in Okinawa are, but you don't necessarily need to stay there to use them. You can eat in the restaurants or buy a day pass to the water parks (which the people staying there pay for anyway!)
Okinawa Top Tip
Visit Transit Cafe in Chatan
One of the highlights of our trip was making contact with a fellow foreigner who lives there and works at the university in Okinawa. She studies folklore and had many interesting things to impart on Okinawan culture and language.
I'm so thankful to have gotten to know her and finally meet her face to face, with the beautiful backdrop that the Transit Cafe provides.
Okinawa Top Tip
Head to AEON town supermarket for all you souvenir needs they have all the major things, some cheaper than the airport.
We did this quite by accident and I'm going to make this part of every trip from now on. We got our omiyage or souvenir shopping done first. What a weight that was off all our minds. We then enjoyed ourselves without rushing through the rigmarole of buying all those souvenirs that people need in Japan, nobody forgot who they had to buy for and we had a relaxing last few hours before our trip home .
The beginnings of some big transformations
The women who came along to the retreat came away from our relaxing weekend, not only with more energy and vitality, but with new directions for their business and the motivation and momentum to take those first steps towards their goals. The beginnings of some big transformations.
How did we do that?
By masterminding. Each participant was given 30 minutes in the hot seat to talk about where they are and where they want to go and what their current challenge is. It's amazing what a little perspective and reassurance from fellow women can do for us when we work on our problems together, not alone. I'm excited to see how they transform over the next few months.
If you'd like to take part in one of my retreats, sign up is now available for my 1 Day Retreat in Tokyo in June or the Capture Kyoto Retreat with Tia from Toptia Photography (with your smartphone or choice of camera) in September.