Early bird pricing now available
Living Well
Exploring the Art of Living through Design, Craft and Japanese Wisdom
A two month online journey
November 4th – January 6th 2027
10 Live Sessions
Fully Downloadable
11 Faculty Members
Living Well
Exploring the Art of Living through Design, Craft and Japanese Wisdom
A 7 week online journey
November 4th – December 16th 2026
9 Live Sessions
Fully Downloadable
10 Faculty Members
What does it mean to live well on this earth?
In a way, our lives are already a response to this question.
How we spend our time and what we devote ourselves to. The spaces we inhabit and the things we choose to live with. The people we love and care for.
But even a life shaped with care becomes familiar.
As our days fill up and our attention is pulled elsewhere, we easily lose touch with the life right in front of us.
Living Well is an invitation to look again at how you inhabit the world.
To reconsider what makes life nourishing, and experience more of the life you are already living.
What this program offers
Living Well explores the art of living through architecture, design, craft and art, using the tangible world around us as an entry point into deeper questions about how we live.
Insights and practices from Zen, Shinto and the Way of Tea deepen this exploration, opening different ways of experiencing ourselves and our relationship with the world.
Across ten live encounters with eleven remarkable people from Japan and beyond, you will:
Look again at what you give space to, from the objects and environments you live with to the habits, values and choices that shape everyday life.
Notice what familiarity and habit make easy to overlook, reawakening to the beauty and meaning already present in your everyday life.
Develop a more meaningful relationship with the spaces and objects in your life, noticing how they shape you and how you shape them through attention, use and care.
Reconsider what enough means to you, and how attention can change your experience of richness without simply adding more.
Reconnect with your own creativity and sense of possibility, opening up more curiosity and freedom in how you meet the world.
Bring greater attention and intention to how you live, while remaining open to what other people, new experiences and the world itself can reveal.
Remarkable Encounters.
Questions That Matter.
For two months, Living Well offers you the space to be with questions that matter, in the company of eleven remarkable people from Japan and beyond.
Rather than offering simple answers, the program invites you to look at your life and the world around you with fresh eyes.
Across ten live encounters, you will spend time with acclaimed artists and designers, architects known for their sensory approach to creating homes, multi-generational craftspeople, and teachers devoted to Tea, Zen and Shinto.
Some will welcome you into their world through intimate conversations and stories. Others will invite you to learn through direct experience and guided practices. Between encounters, exercises and prompts help you bring the inquiry into your own life.
Who this program is for
This program is for you if you:
Sense your way of seeing has become fixed, and want to meet life with fresh eyes
Want to rediscover a sense of wonder and inner resilience, through slowing down and paying attention
Feel curious how Zen can be lived in everyday life, helping you cut through noise and question assumptions
Are open to simple, embodied practices, from meditation (zazen) to everyday activities like eating, as gateways into a more direct experience of life
Recognize moments of moving through life on autopilot, and want to respond with greater clarity and freedom
Value depth and learning through experience, and are willing to engage with practices that reveal rather than explain
No prior experience with Zen is needed.
You do not need to adopt any beliefs or follow a particular path to take part.
What matters is curiosity and a willingness to question how you see — and to discover what becomes possible when you begin to meet each moment with fresh eyes.
Join Living WellMeet the Faculty
Tomoaki Uno
Architect · Nagoya, Japan
Uno-san is a Japanese architect known for deeply considered homes shaped through an intimate understanding of materials and the people who inhabit them. The son of a craftsman, he works across both design and construction, collaborating closely with skilled makers and remaining deeply involved on site.
He approaches architecture as something experienced through the body and senses rather than thought alone. Resisting novelty and trends, Uno-san builds for longevity, while believing that architecture at its highest expression can have the emotional power of poetry.
Mariko Mori
Artist & founder of the Faou Foundation · New York, Tokyo, Miyakojima
Mariko is an internationally acclaimed Japanese artist whose work has been exhibited by major museums around the world. Moving across sculpture and immersive installation, she brings ancient spiritual traditions into dialogue with science and technology to explore our relationship with nature and the experience of oneness.
In 2010, Mariko founded the Faou Foundation to create permanent art installations in natural environments across six continents. At the heart of her work is a belief that creativity is not reserved for artists, but a fundamental part of being human.
Thomas Lykke
Co-founder & creative director, OEO Studio · Copenhagen
Thomas Lykke is co-founder and creative director of OEO Studio, a Copenhagen-based practice working across interiors, architecture and product design. His own path has been equally wide-ranging, from fashion to his former role as Interiors Editor at Wallpaper*, before establishing OEO Studio in 2003.
Deeply curious and guided by intuition, Thomas has built a longstanding relationship with Japan. He brings an outsider’s eye that gently challenges conventions and creates new possibilities through the meeting of different cultures and perspectives.
Tosei Shinabe
Zen priest & meditation instructor · Kyoto
Tosei is a Zen priest whose life has been shaped by many years of intensive training at one of Kyoto’s oldest Zen temples. Today, he teaches zazen in Japan and internationally, sharing it as a technique that can be practised anytime, anywhere, by anyone.
For Tosei, zazen is a practice of setting aside our habitual judgments and deeply observing reality as it is. Rather than escaping or shutting out the world, it helps us understand our relationship with it more clearly — and, ultimately, live with greater freedom.
Takahiro Yagi
6th-generation head of Kaikado · Kyoto
Takahiro is the 6th-generation head of Kaikado, the Kyoto workshop making its renowned handmade tea caddies since 1875. Under his leadership, Kaikado has found new audiences around the world and expanded its craft through thoughtful collaborations, while preserving what lies at its core.
Guided as much by feeling as technique, Takahiro brings a long-term perspective to what he makes and how he leads. He believes in creating things that grow more beautiful with time and, above all, move the heart.
Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen
Architect & co-founder of Norm Architects · Copenhagen
Jonas is an architect, designer and photographer, and co-founder of the internationally recognized Norm Architects. Known for its human-centered approach, the studio creates spaces and objects that bring a distinctly Scandinavian sensibility into dialogue with influences from Japan.
Across his work, Jonas has developed a deep sensitivity to atmosphere and the way our surroundings make us feel. For Jonas, our growing desire for stillness points to deeper human needs we are increasingly losing touch with.
Mai Miyake
Interdisciplinary artist · Otsu
Mai Miyake is an interdisciplinary artist whose work crosses the boundaries between contemporary art, Japanese tradition, craft and everyday life. Working across a wide range of forms and materials, she brings seemingly different things into dialogue, often challenging our assumptions about what we consider precious, ordinary or worthy of attention.
Her work is shaped by a deep curiosity about how we see and assign value to the world around us. By bringing together past and present, the refined and overlooked, Mai creates unexpected encounters that invite us to notice familiar things in new ways.
Hosai Matsubayashi XVI
16th-generation master potter, Asahiyaki · Uji
Hosai is the 16th-generation head of Asahiyaki, a 425-year-old pottery in Uji deeply rooted in the Way of Tea. Working with clay passed down through generations, he carries this remarkable tradition forward while continually finding new expressions for it.
Living and working within such a long lineage has shaped the way Hosai thinks about his place in the world and his responsibility to those who come after him. Through his work, he explores what craftsmanship can teach us about how we live.
Marc Peter Keane
Landscape architect, artist & writer · Kyoto
Marc is a landscape architect, artist and writer who has spent much of his life in Kyoto, designing gardens for private residences, companies and temples. He is the author of numerous books exploring Japanese gardens, nature and the ideas that shape them.
At the heart of his work is a deeply participatory worldview: we are not separate observers, but part of the world we experience.
Dairik Amae
Tea teacher & architect · Kyoto
Dairik is a Tea teacher and architect who teaches from his teahouse near Daitoku-ji in Kyoto and works with students around the world. Growing up internationally as the child of a diplomat gave him an unusual ability to move between cultures and ways of seeing.
Drawing on Tea, Zen and Shinto, Dairik brings an open and contemporary perspective to an ancient tradition. His teaching explores how the reverence and attention cultivated in the tearoom extend into our relationships with the people and things of our everyday life.
Taishi Kato
22nd-generation Shinto priest · Osaka
Taishi is a 22nd-generation Shinto priest at Hattori Tenjingu Shrine in Osaka, carrying forward a tradition that has been part of his family for centuries. Alongside his work at the shrine, he explores how Shinto’s ancient practices and sensibilities can speak meaningfully to contemporary life.
For Taishi, Shinto is less a system of beliefs than a way of relating to a world we can never fully understand. His work invites a renewed sensitivity to the sacred within the world around us.
What You Will Learn
The program unfolds over ten live encounters, combining conversations and presentations with experiential sessions and guided practices.
Each encounter opens a different perspective on how we live, through art, design, craft, architecture and Japanese cultural and spiritual traditions.
Some sessions invite you to listen and reflect. Others bring you into direct experience, with practices you can explore for yourself and carry into everyday life.
Together, they offer different ways to deepen your relationship with the world around you, and explore what living well means to you.
All live sessions take place from 9:00-10:30 am Central European time / 4:00-5:30 pm Japan time, unless otherwise indicated. Sessions are held live online and recordings will be revailable to all participants.
Opening Dialogue
Feeling More
Wed. 4 November
with Takahiro Yagi & Thomas Lykke
- Join Takahiro and Thomas as they explore the value of putting feeling first, and trusting intuition and direct experience in craft, design and life.
- Discover what years of friendship and collaboration have taught them about good design and a good life.
- Reflect on what makes something worth making or living with, from Thomas’s pursuit of purpose to Takahiro’s belief in making things that move the heart.
Interview
Living in Relationship
Wed. 11 November
with Marc Peter Keane
- Discover what decades of creating and observing gardens have taught Marc about seeing the world not as separate objects, but as a web of interconnections.
- Encounter the Japanese aesthetics of shin and sō, and what they reveal about control, co-creation and allowing the world to participate in what we create.
- Explore what it means to live as a participant in the world, embodying this understanding rather than simply knowing it intellectually.
Workshop
What Is Enough?
Thu. 19 November
with Dairik Amae
- Explore what it means to know what is enough, and how the Way of Tea transforms lack and limitation into a greater appreciation of what is already here.
- Discover wabi as a way of finding richness in imperfection, deepening your sensitivity to the beauty of ordinary objects, spaces and moments.
- Experience a direct taste of enoughness, through practices that heighten your senses and reveal the richness already present.
Talk Session
Making Space for Life
Wed. 25 November
with Tomoaki Uno
- Discover why Uno-san believes good architecture should not decide too much, but leave room for people to shape their own way of living.
- Explore zettai kūkan, Uno-san’s “absolute spatial sense,” and what we lose when we rely on thinking and technology more than our senses.
- Reflect on his pursuit of longevity, creating buildings that hold their value for generations, and what you want to give your own time to that will continue to matter.
Workshop
Meeting the Sacred
Sun. 29 November
with Taishi Kato
- Uncover how Shinto invites us to meet a world we can never fully understand, and why remaining open to mystery changes how we relate to life.
- Explore musubi, the Shinto principle of generative connection, and how life is continually created through our relationships with the world around us.
- Experience Shinto-inspired practices that bring a sense of reverence cultivated at the shrine into your own home and everyday life.
Talk Session
The Creative Force
Wed. 2 December
with Mariko Mori
- Explore creativity as part of our true nature as human beings, and the freedom that comes from claiming it as your own.
- Discover Mariko’s pursuit of oneness through art, and how her understanding of our place within nature can expand the way we see ourselves and the world.
- See how Tea, Shinto and Buddhism have shaped Mariko’s worldview and creative practice, and what it means to draw on tradition while finding an expression that is your own.
*This session will be held at 4:00-5:30 pm Central European / 10:00-11:30 am US Eastern.
Workshop
Seeing Reality As It Is
Wed. 9 December
with Tosei Shinabe
- Join Tosei in zazen, the simple Zen practice of stopping, sitting and observing what is here.
- See how zazen helps us encounter reality as it is, setting aside habitual judgments and assumptions to bring everyday life into finer resolution.
- Explore the freedom that comes from seeing more clearly, creating space to choose how we respond rather than simply reacting to life.
Talk Session
Harmonizing Inside & Outside
Wed. 16 December
with Hosai Matsubayashi XVI
- Discover what the life of a craftsperson reveals about living well, and the balance between finding fulfilment within ourselves and through our relationships with others.
- Explore the Japanese concept of wa, or harmony, where distinct forces remain themselves while coming together to create something genuinely new.
- Reflect on what changes when we see our lives across generations, receiving from those before us and choosing what we want to pass on to future generations.
Talk Session
The Art of Noticing
Mon. 21 December
with Mai Miyake
- Discover what the art of noticing has taught Mai about how to live, from carefully shaping a home and studio that feel like a sanctuary to leaving room for messiness and the unexpected.
- Discover how bringing seemingly different things together creates a new dialogue, changing how we see each while something unexpected emerges between them.
- TBC
Talk Session
Finding Stillness
Wed. 6 January
with Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen
- Notice how the spaces around us shape how we feel, and how light, texture, sound and atmosphere can create a sense of stillness.
- Explore why our desire for stillness has become so pronounced in contemporary life, and the deeper need to reconnect with nature, ourselves and what truly matters.
- Experience the power of restraint and reduction, and how removing what is unnecessary heightens our awareness of what remains — in our spaces and in our lives.
How the program works
An two month journey designed to offer depth without adding pressure.
LIVE
10 live sessions
Across two months, combining teachings, conversations, demonstrations and guided practices.
FLEXIBLE
Join live or go at your own pace
Every session is recorded and fully downloadable, with transcripts and supporting materials included.
INTEGRATE
8 weekly reflection guides
Thoughtfully prepared guides that create space to reflect, notice and bring the program’s ideas into your own life.
Designed to create space amidst a full life.
Join live when you can, and return to the conversations, practices and reflections in your own rhythm.
Join Living Wellfrom past participants
“More than a program, it felt like a quiet pause in the middle of daily life.
It was not about learning more, but about seeing differently.”
António Nunes, Portugal
Japanese Design Brand Strategist
“It was incredibly enriching on a personal and spiritual level. I would recommend it to anyone!”
Yvan Marco Ladurner, Germany
Yoga teacher & Coach
“I loved every minute of it! The insights gathered will be cherished and keep me grounded.”
Bruno Graça, Lisbon / Amsterdam
Curator & Designer
“I feel I am a different person than before the program. I really enjoyed the simplicity, groundedness, and embodiment of the practices offered.”
Sophia Reyers, Germany
Psychologist & naturopath
“I really valued learning new rituals for everyday life. It feels like the beginning of something new in my life.”
Christina Lurell, Sweden
Business owner
“I’ve taken many online courses, but this was by far the most valuable. Each session supported learning, connection, and real change in everyday life.”
Valentina Tikhonova, UK
Author & mentor
“I feel truly at home in the Musubi Academy. What the teachers, hosts, and participants create together feels like a global family grounded in wisdom, care, and shared presence.”
Deborah Herzig, Switzerland
Consultant & project lead
Living Well
November 4th – January 6th 2026
Two months to explore what makes life feel rich and meaningful, through art, design, craft and Japanese wisdom.
Early Bird Rate
€595
€495
or pay in 3 monthly payments of €175
Registration is now closed
Sign up to be notified about future courses.
For other enquiries contact info@musubi.academy.
Early BirD ends in
Registration closes November 3rd, 2026.
10-day money-back guarantee
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
The 10 sessions that form the core of the program are live and take place via ZOOM video conference. Recordings of those sessions become available a day later so you can also move at your own pace if you prefer, or revisit the sessions.
Yes, English is the main language for most of the 10 sessions. For the sessions with Tomoaki Uno, Tosei Shinabe and Hosai Matsubayashi XVI a skilled interpreter will be there. To translate fully in the case of Uno-san, and for Tosei-san and Hosai-san to support in expressing more complicated or nuanced idea in English.
You’ll have guaranteed access for twelve months following the completion of the program. To retain them longer than this we advise that you download them onto your own computer.
We offer a 10-day money back guarantee. If you are not satisfied with the program for any reason, simply contact us at info@musubi.academy within 10 days of the start of the program and we’ll offer a full refund.
All sessions take place from 10:00-11:30 am Central European / 6:00-7:30 pm Japan time. Only the session with Mariko Mori differs from that timing and takes place from 4:00-5:30 pm Central European.
Yes, you can receive a certificate of completion for the course. If it’s for business usage it’s good to check if your company approves the program as continued learning. We can offer a certificate for the 10.5 hours that make up the total duration of the sessions on the program. Just send us an email if you would like to receive a certificate once the program is completed.
If you have any questions about the program, you can email us at info@musubi.academy.
