Apothékary is heading to Japan.
Inspired by founder Shizu Okusa’s heritage, the plant medicine supplement company is announcing a customer trip to Kyoto centered around several wellness traditions, following a similar press excursion for editors last year. The trip, called “The Journey East” and held from Nov. 10 through 14, will accommodate 15 Apothékary customers and cost $10,000, which includes flights, hotel accommodations, food, wellness experiences and, of course, Apothékary products — including a few sneak peeks at upcoming launches.
Apothékary’s Take the Edge Off tincture.
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“This is not a tourist sightseeing trip. This is about going inward, pausing, getting rest and resetting the nervous system,” Okusa said. “This is more of an exploration. It’s a journey to start and reset your nervous system through different wellness activities.”
On the second day of the trip, guests will participate in a three-hour meditation.
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Attendees will stay for five days and four nights at the Four Seasons Kyoto, which is housed in an old castle and is surrounded by an 800-year-old koi pond. Each day of the trip will be centered around a different element and wellness practice. Specifically, Day One is centered around fire with a tea ceremony; Day Two around air with a meditation; Day Three around water with an onsen, and Day Four around earth with forest bathing.
“We’re seeing a lot of focus on if J-beauty and K-beauty have led the way for beauty; Japan and Korea also continue to lead the way on the wellness side,” Okusa said. “This is your ability to enter the world of innovation in a unique way.”
Currently, the waitlist to attend the trip has more than 2,000 interested customers. The Apothékary team will review applications to determine the final attendees. Of the 15-person cohort, one person will receive the trip for free.
As far as future trips to Japan go, Okusa says they will become an integral part of the business for employees and customers.
“Whoever is going to be joining Apothékary as a team member is going to have to know about Japan and understand and love it,” she said. “We’re rebranding our cartons to be a lot more Japanese forward as well.…We’ll be actually looking to do another trip [in 2026 around] being able to access the blue zone of [Okinawa] Japan and understanding the activities and the culture.”
