Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Patricia Belyea of Kyoto

We recently had the chance to connect with Patricia Belyea and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Patricia, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: Who are you learning from right now?
I’ve just returned from our 12th Okan Arts textile tour to Japan. I now recognize that our tours are so much more than travel.

Everyone who joins us loves textiles, but they also care deeply about the people they meet—the masters, sensei, and artisans — who continue Japan’s textile traditions.

Our travelers support the future of these textiles in Japan. It’s exciting to watch the interactions as Okan Arts travelers choose a woven, dyed, or sewn piece to take home. And heart-warming to see the big smiles on everyone’s faces as we all wave goodbye.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Patricia Belyea, co-owner of Okan Arts. I share our family business with my younger daughter, Victoria Stone. We’re hoping to welcome my older daughter, Liz Stone, into the business in the new year.

Our focus is creativity, quilting, and Japan.

It all began when I started making quilts and our family hosted Japanese homestay students. On my many trips to Japan to visit our ”kids,” I discovered yukata cottons—luscious, hand-dyed fabrics.

At first, I bought a few bolts for my own use. As my collection grew, I started Okan Arts to share these remarkable textiles with other quilters.

Eighteen years later, Okan Arts continues to import yukata cottons and other traditional Japanese textiles. As a professional quilter, I also teach and give talks to quilting guilds. As of January 2020, we launched our first textile tour to Japan.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
I grew up in a family where my father believed that two essentials for a fulfilling life were travel and fresh flowers. My five siblings and I traveled to Europe before we turned 18, and bouquets filled our home.

When I was 17, I flew to Baden-Baden, Germany, and took the train to St. Moritz to go skiing. Yes, on my own! Although I was still a high school student, the independence of traveling alone and the exuberance of skiing down the Alps are lifetime memories.

Being encouraged to embrace faraway places has stayed with me. And, to this day one of my favorite sayings is: “A stranger is someone you have yet to meet.”

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
I almost gave up before I even started. It was January 2014 in Kyoto. My husband and I were at Fushimi Inari Shine, the mountain of ten thousand vermillion torii gates.

After walking through the Senbon Torii to the first level, I gave a donation at the Okusha Hōhai-sho shrine. Standing in front of the left lantern, I positioned myself to pick up one of the “heavy-light stones”. There I whispered to myself “Should I start a tour business?”

The stone did not budge. A soft “no” from the sacred stone.

Three years later, Victoria joined Okan Arts as a partner. One day she said to me, “We should take people to Japan on textile tours.” With two of us leading trips, plus a Japanese guide to support us — it suddenly felt possible.

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What do you believe is true but cannot prove?
The sixteen places in our tours are all Solo Occupancy. (Another tour director once told me it would never work.)

Our travelers have their own spaces to sleep in peace, pile up their treasures, and hang their hand laundry. But I believe their private spaces also contribute to something very precious.

Everyone arrives at the beginning of the trip connected to others—partners, children, parents, friends. These relationships often define them.

Over the course of the tour, they get the rare gift of time to themselves. They get lighter, brighter.

I believe they blossom. I can’t prove it, but I see it happen on every trip. Japan, textiles, and time to simply be all contribute to renewed spirits.

Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. If you retired tomorrow, what would your customers miss most?
They’d definitely squawk that they didn’t get to travel with Okan Arts! Our tours sell out quickly, and many people wait a year for their spot.

While I plan to keep leading tours for years to come, I’m also working with my family to build a strong foundation for the future of Okan Arts Tours. We want to continue our tours — journeys of discovery and purpose — well into the future.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Photo of Patricia Belyea: Victoria Stone
All other images: Patricia Belyea

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