Okami no Tani no Yado
Okami no Tani no Yado - おおかみの谷の宿
Project for an International Non-Profit Association (in constitution)
A bridge of mutual aid, learning, and traditional crafts exchange between Belgium and Japan
A bridge of mutual aid, learning, and traditional crafts exchange between Belgium and Japan
"Okami no Tani no Yado" is a project to establish an international non-profit association (AISBL) aiming to foster unique links of learning and solidarity. Our future goal is to facilitate exchanges of students in traditional crafts (carpentry, eco-construction) and to renovate vacant traditional houses (*akiyas*) in Shikoku. The project envisions, in collaboration with local students, transforming these abandoned houses into minshukus (traditional guest houses), rest stops, and ecological bike shelters for travelers. Join us for a supportive adventure where tradition and transmission meet!
Follow our renovation chantiers step-by-step in video! Discover the challenges of buying akiyas, the daily life of our Belgian and Japanese student artisans in Shikoku, and how your donations help preserve the trail.
Immerse yourself in the soul of Japan with unique workshops led by Misako in Belgium (Matcha, calligraphy, cooking). Every participation directly funds our student mobility scholarships.
Discover our eco-construction projects in Shikoku. We convert vacant secondary homes into welcoming rest shelters for hikers and cycling pilgrims.
Support our projects by purchasing unique items branded with the Ontny logo (mugs, traditional yukatas, handmade bowls). Every purchase funds our students' tooling.
Promoting practical training abroad. We enable young students from art and traditional craft schools to experience a work and transmission residency in Shikoku.
At the origin of the "Okami no Tani no Yado" project lies a story of love, intercultural exchange, and a shared passion for the pilgrimage trail, shared with our faithful companion Inu! For Kurodo, a Belgian, this passion began on April 4, 2016, during his first pilgrimage "Goya 2016" on the island of Shikoku. It was on that same island that he met his wife, Misako, a Japanese woman, during his third journey in 2023, on his 44th birthday, April 4th.
By founding this association, Kurodo and Misako wish to build a lasting bridge between their two worlds. Misako brings her Japanese cultural expertise and supervises the workshops in Belgium, while Kurodo manages the coordination of akiyas renovation projects in Shikoku, offering students and pilgrims unforgettable experiences, under the kind eye of Inu!
