We at Kominka Japan hope this blog post finds you well. It’s been a long, very hot and humid summer (again), but typhoon season is nearly over and the weather is at long last cooling down, allowing those of us with minka to work outdoors in relative comfort.
I’ve been remiss not keeping this Kominka Japan blog up-to-date. For so many of us, the year 2025 has been a daily barrage of distressing news from overseas and, to a lesser extreme, here in Japan. Beyond Kominka Japan and day-job work, I’ve had additional challenges at home in our minka. The wife, Yukiyo, who worked so hard in the lead-up and all through Minka Summit 2024 and after, has been putting in killer hours at her family’s business; 80-hour weeks are not uncommon. Meanwhile, the daughter, also such a huge help at the last Summit, has been studying furiously for her upcoming university entrance exams. Only Sandy the Dog has enjoyed a stress-free life beyond watching the occasional fox or deer wander past our engawa.
And, as you may recall from earlier posts on our Kominka Japan Facebook page, I had also been grappling with a couple of health crises. The first and by far most frightening was when I went into anaphylactic shock and nearly died. The other was crippling sciatica, that made standing for even just a few minutes agonizingly painful. Thankfully, after seeing a specialist I was prescribed medication that, after about a week, worked wonders and now I’m more or less back to normal.
Behind-the-scenes we’ve been working steadily on Minka Summit 2026 since June. The event may be six months away, but getting it right requires many months of careful planning to ensure another memorable, smooth-running event. Our goal with each Minka Summit is to put together a program that’s both fun and enlightening, where everyone leaves late Sunday afternoon very glad they went to the trouble of visiting us here in the mountains north of Kyoto City.
To that end we listen when Summit attendees, people on the Facebook page and Forum here on this website make suggestions for how we might improve, and what kind of programming they’d like to see us offer next time. For Minka Summits 2022, ’23, and ’24 it was an embarrassment of riches – many remarkable speakers and workshop presenters covering a wide range of topics, and some of the most memorable ones will be back for Minka Summit 2026.
But we also want to keep the Summit fresh, which is why we’re shaking things up a little this time, too, rethinking our schedule and adding many first-time speakers and events. And, let me tell you, it may only be mid-October, but we’ve already got some amazing guests and events lined up.
Much as I’d love to Reveal All now, we’re keeping things under our hats for now, hoping to firm-up a couple more guests and events by next month. Later in November, I’ll be appearing on JJ Walsh’s wonderful Seek Sustainable Japan talk show/podcast. There exclusively we’ll announce our Keynote Speaker and some of the special guests and events that’ll be happening at Minka Summit 2026. When she’s ready to officially announce the time & date of the program, we’ll let you know here as well. You won’t want to miss it!
The Minka Summit 2026 we’re planning will be bigger and better than ever, so much so we encourage you to buy your tickets now – at 40% OFF admission prices through December 31, 2025 – and to book your accommodations early. April is High Season in Japan, but beyond that we expect a big boost in the number of attendees this time, so if staying at accommodations close to the main venue is important to you, we invite you to make your reservations early before everything’s booked for miles around.
We also invite you to contact us if you’re interested in presenting a workshop, joining a panel discussion or hosting a presentation, or having a booth at our Minka Mall.
We’re also looking for volunteers. Volunteers willing to work most of the weekend can receive free admission to the Summit weekend and (shared) accommodations, along with complimentary meals while you’re working. Generally, we’re pretty flexible so if you’re interested in this option but also want to catch certain presentations or Minka Tours, usually we can adjust schedules to suit your needs. If you’re interested drop me an email at stuart4th@yahoo.com or write to us care of this website.