About Us

What does WaRan mean?

和(Wa) represent Japan.

蘭(Ran) represent Netherlands/Holland.

Japan and Netherlands share the interesting history. I was always fascinated by it and visited Amsterdam in my early 20's and mid 30's,  but never imagined that I would open an acupuncture clinic here in Netherlands.

Dutch Slope in Nagasaki
Huis Ten Bosch (Dutch theme park in Nagasaki)
Dutch Ship entering Japan
Dutch Ship entering Japan
Ukiyoe by Hokusai (Japanese locals peeping at Dutch men)
Ukiyoe by Hokusai (Japanese locals peeping at Dutch men)

Manabu Ito - Licensed Acupuncturist

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I am a registered member of the professional association Zhong (Dutch association of Traditional Chinese Medicine).

The treatment costs can therefore be claimed from many health insurance companies, depending on the policy. Please check the policy of your insurance package to find out to what extent you are eligible for reimbursement.

Read more about acupuncture insurance here.

I was born and raised in Yokohama, Japan. I grew up watching classic Jackie Chan movies. My passion for martial arts never changed.

Full Contact Taekwondo
Full Contact Taekwondo
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I started Kendo (Japanese sword martial arts) when I was 13 years old. I moved to Canada when I was 17, and continued practicing Kendo there. At the university, I was teaching Kendo as an assistant instructor. In order to teach Kendo to university students, I felt I needed to learn my own background more.

Traditional martial arts are different from sports. As one gains more experience, deeper understanding of the cultural aspects is required. Just like a typical Japanese teenager, I did not know enough about it to teach university students. I spent every summer breaks in Japan to learn about my own cultural background during university years.

​As I learned about my own background, I developed interests in Traditional medicines. Traditional martial arts and traditional medicines are two sides of the same coin. In order to break human body with minimum effort, one must have deep knowledge of body structures and energy system. It is common to find sections on medicines in classic Japanese martial arts texts.

Licenses

Japanese national licenses for Moxibustion, Acupuncture, and Shiatsu massage, all issued in 2008.

I met Makoto Kurihara, the founder of SEIDO acupuncture, in 2014. SEIDO acupuncture is an unique acupuncture method derived from Kappo, which is manual reviving techniques based on ancient Japanese martial arts. It opened my eyes, and I am practicing SEIDO acupuncture ever since.

SEIDO acupuncture

I was interviewed by Japanese youtuber Rio. It is in Japanese, but you can get some ideas of how I work.