Surrounded by magnificent nature, Mt. Mitake is the place where one can feel like time has stopped. It is hard to believe that the mountain is located in Tokyo. In fact, every clock in the guesthouse doesn't move. Katayanagi stopped them all because he wants visitors to forget about time while they are here. He listens attentively to the people who come to talk to him and gives them honest advice. 'Visitors can experience one of our Shinto practices called Takigyo, which is believed to cleanse impurity by standing under a waterfall. Participants gain strength and courage through the pain that they withstood during the practice. Even if they face difficulties after going back, it would be easier for them to overcome the situation because they gained confidence during the practice. They have the strength to move forward. I don't do much. I simply help them build confidence.'

Katayanagi was also one of those who worked as a business person when he was young. While managing a busy schedule, he was not sure if he wanted to keep living like that. He was diagnosed with Meniere's disease and it took him three years to make a full recovery.
'I felt like I was half dead at that time', said Katayanagi. He became susceptible to the feelings of others after suffering from the disease.
'I am not that different from others. You know, people are quite vulnerable. Everyone faces difficulties and experiences failure. We just need to have a strong mindset and keep pushing. We only need strength to come back and try again after a failure. 'It's better if you just do without thinking too much. Make it simple. Don't complicate things too much.'

He wrote something on a card with a Japanese brush and handed it to me before I left. It said, 'Gyo Un Ryu Sui' It was described in the poetry that follows:

Clouds in the big sky, Water that will never stop running, They are always free from everything.

Don't be attached or obsessed with anything if you want to live free.