I’ve been reflecting for a while on whether it’s the right choice to organize this kind of campaign (Sashiko Japan Retreat Support Page) — asking for support to enrich our experience while in Japan. On one hand, it feels a bit uncomfortable (and even embarrassing). On the other hand, I’ve been facing more challenges than I expected, particularly with fewer students enrolling in my Sashiko classes for 2025. To be honest, I’m not entirely sure why this is happening. Could it be that I’ve shared too much content for free online, and now many feel satisfied without diving deeper? Could my generosity in teaching be working against me? Still, I have no regrets about sharing what I have—it’s part of my philosophy, and something I believe in deeply.
This campaign on Give Butter is about supporting “our” side of the Sashiko Japan Retreat, but more specifically, it’s to help with personal time we will spend with my family involving my daughter—who will be visiting Japan for the first time since the pandemic. Please take a moment to check out the Give Butter page I’ve prepared after much consideration. I really appreciate your time & consideration.
More Story behind of “Sashiko Japan Retreat Support Page”
For this 2025 Sashiko Japan Tour (Retreat), I’ll be bringing my daughter with me to Japan. Although Japan is part of her heritage, this will be her first visit. She’s now 9 years old, and the reason she hasn’t been able to visit before has been purely financial. Before the pandemic, she spent her summers with her grandparents in Israel, which made planning two separate international trips in one year nearly impossible.
Taking my daughter with me this time is a decision rooted in family needs—primarily to support my spouse, who works full-time. Originally, I hadn’t planned to offer another Sashiko Japan Retreat until my daughter was old enough to take care of herself, especially on nights when my spouse might have to work late or be on call. I even mentioned that the next retreat wouldn’t be for another 6 to 10 years. However, several Japanese Sashiko artisans advised me that waiting that long might be too late, as many Sashiko masters are aging, and we don’t have much time left to share and preserve the unique form of Sashiko we practice.
After discussing the risks with the participants of bringing my daughter along, I decided to balance offering the Sashiko Japan Tour with the responsibility of caring for my family.
However, things took an unexpected turn after we had already booked our flights and accommodations. My spouse made the difficult decision to step down from her job. While this has significantly reduced her stress, and she’s now more able to care for our daughter, it has also required us to make some financial adjustments. Of course, I fully support her decision—her health and well-being are far more important.
With all of this in mind, I’ve decided to launch another “Give Butter” campaign, asking for your support. I plan to use your contributions to help immerse my daughter more in Sashiko culture. Right now, she doesn’t have much interest in Sashiko or Japanese crafts, but I hope this experience in Japan will give her a connection to it—and maybe, just maybe, she’ll begin to appreciate it.
This campaign also has a second purpose: to involve my friends, students, and followers in this unique and exclusive retreat. I’m not sure how often I’ll be able to offer these tours in the future, so I want to make this experience as inclusive as possible. For those who contribute to the Give Butter campaign, I’ll be sharing personal photos and stories on a designated website. Last year, the postcards from Japan were a big hit, so I’m excited to send them out again this year as a small token of my appreciation.
Once again, thank you very much for your consideration to this. It is a bit embarrassing to do so… at the same time, it is my responsibility to preserve the Sashiko we have been practicing, and I “can” ask for the support when I need a bit of help to push the vechicle to reach to the Goal.
Thank you once again for being part of this journey with us.
