Hello everyone! I hope you have been enjoying watching what's been going on here at Transformation Retreat by Jayne Nakata Headquarters. Here is a quick recap of how this business was actually many years in the making.
In 2009 a very dejected me arrived reluctantly back in Japan after 3 years of amazingness living in Germany as an "expat" and travelling to all those beautiful historical places that a little girl from New Zealand could only dream of. I would spend hours and hours planning our short trips, looking at hotels, comparing locations, access to public transport and attractions, one friend even suggested I set up an online travel agency back then.
Back in Japan, I went from blending in (I look rather German) to being stared at and talked about like some kind of freak in my neighbourhood. It was just after the World Financial Crisis - the reason for our being sent back to Japan so suddenly. There were no jobs to be had for me. We rented an apartment 1/3 the size of our one in Germany and promptly regretted it as the neighbours behind us insisted on burning rubbish from which smoke then blew into our bedroom, the noisiest family you ever met moved in right next door to us with 2 kids who would be screaming and jumping and banging around at 10pm!?! and even though it was a brand new apartment, giant brown cockroaches, the likes of I have never seen, had already set up residence there within 6 months.
I eventually found out about this thing called "blogging". I started to write about my life in semi-rural Japan. I was a very reluctant "Gaijin Housewife". The name of my blog for the last 8 years.
Things did thankfully get much better after that, I did find a job. We moved to a different neighbourhood and built a nice house, I got pregnant. I kept blogging through all of that and then my world was tipped upside down in the 2011 Triple Disaster which set off a tsunami which destroyed part of my city and that power plant up the road went into melt down. I had to give up blogging for a while. I didn't want to have to explain to thoughtless people my decision to go on living in Fukushima. After a couple of years I felt more confident to go back to blogging. I missed it a lot. I also missed the connection with the other women around Japan and the world who had the same struggles regardless of their nationality.
Then in November 2016, I met Jacqui Miyabayashi in Kobe for the first time. As we parted ways at the end of our lunch together I mentioned I was going on a trip without my family in February. She wanted to come too. When I mentioned it to other people, they also wanted in. Soon I had 3 people who were keen to join me on a two night trip to Kyoto. This was me dipping my toe into the water of what is now "Transformation Retreats by Jayne Nakata". It was a natural fit for me. I love to plan and find great places to stay. It was such a buzz for me to do this for other people and I realised for the first time that other people don't actually like to do this kind of thing!!??!! Who would have thought?!
So here we are now after three retreats to Kyoto, Okinawa and Tokyo. Next up on the agenda is Capture Kyoto Photography retreat with Tia form Toptia Photography. That's a lot of progress for 6 months, but I do look back on the last 15 years and see that I've been working up to this moment!
When you sign up for a retreat with me, you are joining a well thought out, well planned relaxing and revitalising trip away with other amazing women. This is not a holiday you will go home exhausted from and need another one to recover! Let our team take care of you and enjoy your special time!
Got questions? Want to sign up? Pop over here!