Agent-Organized Tour Spiritual

USA, KYUSHU

宇佐・大分県

When I came to Japan 13 years ago, it was not planned, but rather it happened by chance.

In Japanese culture, there are many gods and customs and rules that involve the gods being with us. I sometimes found them difficult.

Even though I found such cultural difficulties, I was able to continue living in Japan because of the warmth and kindness of the Japanese people. They accepted me as if I were a real family.

Through this program, I was able to gain true friends in my life.
I feel that performing Kagura this time has changed my life.

Thank you very much.

My encounter with Japan began with my enthusiasm for my work and my strong admiration for the country itself.
The time I spent in Japan was filled with peace and comfort, as if I was back home.
Everyone at work was warm and like family, and Japanese society became an irreplaceable place that nurtured and helped me grow.
While my family back home was far away, everyone in Japan was my emotional support.

After my father passed away in 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic forced me to return to Paris. Those were difficult times for me beyond words.
However, even in such difficult times, what continued to support me was the strong spirit I developed in Japan: “Do your best, do your best, endure and carry on,” and the warm feeling that I am always with everyone.
I truly respect this strong spirit in Japanese people.
Even though I am away from Japan, the core of my humanity is in Japan.

Japan is a place where true peace and natural beauty coexist in their natural state.
Until 2019, I visited Japan every year. But since then, various circumstances have come together and made it difficult for me to come.
It was a truly great gift for me that my best friend invited me this time to the Kagura program.

The courage and liveliness I received from everyone I met through this program. Also the powerful energy that resonated with my soul. Those have been engraved deeply in my heart.
Experienced with Kagura, I have a strong desire to learn more about Japan's traditional culture.

Although it was only a short five days, living with you all, your lifestyle moved me more than I can express in words. I am still overwhelmed with emotion.

The spirit, energy, feelings, and warm hearts that you all possess
are truly wonderful, rare and unparalleled.
This program, where I experienced the traditional performing art of Kagura, connected me with all the important things: people between people, people and nature, and awe.

Through this Kagura experience, I would like to convey to you all the wonderful spirituality that is rooted in Japanese culture.

This special program was a unique and very meaningful experience.
I live far away now, but my heart is always with you all.

Thank you very much.

I was able to have a very valuable experience that allowed me to learn about the spirituality that is the foundation of Japanese culture. Thank you for giving me this valuable opportunity.

To be honest, the Kagura practice was a hard experience, but by taking the Kagura practice seriously, I was able to experience the bonds with the local people and their feelings towards Kagura in a vivid way. While the practice felt hard, I felt a great sense of accomplishment after the dedication and it was very moving.
The opening and closing ceremonies of the program were impressive. I think it was an experience that left an impression of the beginning of the journey and the beginning of a new life. Even the chairman was in tears at the closing ceremony, and I felt the warmth of the local people.
I thought that the Kagura rice that we had during the experience was a course that took five days to complete. Until the second day, I felt it was not enough, but from the third day, I could feel my sense of taste changing, and I could clearly feel the sweetness of the rice and koji. It was a shocking experience to be able to feel the change in my own sense of taste.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone at OUGI and Aso Kagura. This experience was wonderful. It wasn't just a tour, I felt like I was diving deep into Japanese history and culture. Thanks to the French translation, I understood 100%. I've been interested in world mythology since I was a child, so I'm very happy to be able to understand Japanese mythology more deeply.

First of all, about Kagura. When I decided to join the tour, this was the thing I was most worried about. It's a special and traditional performance, so I was worried if I, a foreigner, would be okay. And I was worried because I can't dance at all. But in the end, I liked Kagura more than I thought, and looked forward to practice time every day. It was very hard during practice, and I thought many times that I couldn't do it, but thanks to everyone's kindness, the last day went well.
I was very nervous about the final dedication presentation, and I could barely eat breakfast, but it was a unique and unforgettable experience. I was really moved. What I learned from Aso Kagura is that it's okay to make mistakes. This was important. You don't have to look for perfection. If you work hard and dance with a strong will, you'll be fine. I think I've grown as a person thanks to this experience.

I'll never forget the closing ceremony. The dance fan and tabi socks are also wonderful memories. The quality of the fans and tabi socks was very good, and it was special to be able to take home my own dance accessories. The kind messages that the Aso Kagura members wrote on the fans were also a great idea. I will treasure the fans and gohei.

We all spent five days together and it felt like I was with family. I hope to see them again! I'm grateful that I was able to meet such wonderful people thanks to this tour. The Folklore of Kagura is not an ordinary tour, it's an important experience of life!

I think that this tour would appeal a great deal to people wanting to immerse themselves in ‘authentic Japan’, as it is designed to take in Japanese culture in its entirety, with an ‘outdoor’, gastronomic, historical, architectural, religious and sacred dimension, as well as being fun.

The tour is called ‘Folklore of Kagura’, and we had between one and a half and two hours of kagura dance lessons in the first four days, and it's true that from the start of our stay, we were warned that on the last day we would have to give a public performance at the Asou Shinto shrine (a dedication ceremony to the kami of the Asou shrine) ; However, the tour was designed to place kagura dance in a historical, cultural and cultic context, and we didn't learn this dance as a simple sporting or artistic exercise, but were immersed throughout our stay in a cultural bath that was fundamental to understanding this art form, which is very different from what you find in Europe. 

The members of the kagura association were keen to help us discover their art, and they put a lot of effort and rigour into it. At the end of the trip, despite its brevity, everyone was moved, members of the kagura association as well as the participants, which for me was a sign that we had experienced intense moments of cultural sharing.

I thought the programme was so comprehensive. It combined sightseeing (sanctuaries, walks in the forest in the footsteps of the Shinto and Buddhist religions), gastronomy (meals meticulously prepared by Mrs Kamiya based on rice in accordance with the healthy kagurashi diet, but also a soba, lunch in a luxury restaurant, Teki Zan So, offering an assortment of very fine dishes in Hiji, a festive meal at the end of the stay) and recreational activities rooted in Japanese culture (kimono fitting, tea ceremony). I only knew Japan from books or through museums, and I really enjoyed discovering a region that most French tourists don't visit, or at least not on their first visit. So, to start my ‘Japanese experience’ by immersing myself in what OUGI company calls ‘authentic Japan’ was exceptional.