About Yohanashi

How this space came to be

Yohanashi began through years of conversations.

For the past ten years, I have worked in education in Japan, supporting people at many different stages of life. I have taught in conversation schools, supported children in after-school programmes, worked with private students, and eventually taught English in junior and senior high schools.

Across these different environments, I met people with completely different backgrounds, personalities, and life experiences.

Yet, through these conversations, I noticed something that appeared again and again.

People were often searching for a deeper understanding of themselves.

They were questioning who they were, what they wanted, how they should move forward, and how to navigate the expectations placed on them by family, society, and their own experiences.

Sometimes these struggles appeared as a lack of confidence. Sometimes as difficulty making decisions. Sometimes as a feeling of being disconnected from their own thoughts, feelings, or needs.

But often, underneath these experiences was a similar desire:

To understand themselves more clearly.

Working in education allowed me to witness these moments, but it also showed me the limitations of the environments we often work within.

As a teacher, there are many responsibilities, structures, and practical limits. Time is limited. Curriculums are set. There are goals to achieve and schedules to follow.

While these systems provide important support, they do not always leave much room for the slower, more personal conversations that help us explore who we are and what we need.

This stayed with me.

I began wondering:

What would it look like to create a space where people could intentionally choose to spend time understanding themselves?

A space where there was no pressure to perform, no expectation to have the perfect answer, and no need to explain everything before beginning.

A space where people could explore their experiences with curiosity, reflect on the stories they carry, and discover what feels true for them.

That question became the foundation of Yohanashi.

The Person Behind the Space
Diana Mote

Quiet by nature, curious by heart

I have always been drawn to the simple layers of life. From early morning walks to sharing a good meal, singing karaoke until my voice gives out, or simply doodling the small details of an ordinary day, I have found that these moments often reveal something important about how we feel, connect, and experience the world.

Perhaps it is this curiosity that has always guided me. Through my own experiences and through supporting others,
I became increasingly interested in the relationship between our thoughts, emotions, and bodies. I began noticing how we process the experiences we carry, how stress can quietly build over time, and how easy it can be to lose connection with ourselves when life becomes busy or overwhelming.

This led me to explore practices that helped me return to myself: creativity, movement, rest, sleep, and nutrition. These became the steady pillars in my own life, helping me reconnect with my thoughts, feelings, and personal needs. More importantly, they helped me rebuild trust in my own inner voice and the decisions I make.

As I continued exploring this connection between self-awareness and wellbeing, I found myself drawn towards holistic counselling and reflective practices. Alongside my full-time teaching job, I studied for two years with the Australian School of Holistic Counselling, and qualified as a Practitioner of Holistic Counselling, Certified Holistic Coach, and Meditation & Mindfulness Practitioner. Through this training, I learned how to hold space with care, structure, and responsibility, while supporting people in exploring their own experiences.

Alongside this, I have explored Reiki, sound healing, and yoga through personal study and my own interest in how the mind and body influence one another. While these practices are not positioned as clinical treatment, they inform the gentle and grounded ways I support self-awareness and reconnection.

My approach is collaborative. I do not see myself as someone who provides answers or tells people who they should become. Instead, I believe each person has valuable experiences, perspectives, and strengths to draw from. My role is to offer attentive listening, thoughtful questions, and reflective tools that create space for you to explore your experiences with more clarity.

Together, we can notice what feels important, understand what you need, and consider the steps that feel right for you.

I believe understanding ourselves is an ongoing process. It is not about changing who we are, but about becoming more aware of what we value, what we need, and how we want to live.

If you feel that my approach may be a good fit for you, you are welcome to book a free 30-minute introductory call or reach out through the contact form. I believe it is important that you feel comfortable with the space and the person supporting you.