Funder Japanese Acupuncturist, Shiatsu Practitioner & Documentary Filmmaker
Ryunosuke Shiba was born in Osaka, Japan. He holds Japanese national qualifications in acupuncture and moxibustion and has more than 25 years of experience in traditional Japanese acupuncture, shiatsu and hands-on treatment.
In 2016, he founded the Japan Acupuncture & Shiatsu Massage Clinic in Amsterdam, later expanding the practice to Amstelveen.
His clinical work is rooted in careful palpation, quiet observation and respect for the body’s natural ability to restore balance. Rather than focusing only on isolated symptoms, he listens to how the body holds tension, stress and fatigue, helping each person return to a more natural sense of ease and balance.
A Personal Practice of Acupuncture
For more than twenty years, Ryunosuke has maintained a regular practice of treating himself with acupuncture, often three to four times a week. This long-term personal experience has given him an embodied understanding of how the body responds to subtle differences in point selection, depth, timing and stimulation.
Through this practice, he has experienced firsthand how carefully applied acupuncture can support recovery, resilience and overall well-being. It allows him to understand acupuncture not only through formal study and clinical practice, but also through direct and repeated experience in his own body.
This lived understanding informs the sensitivity, precision and care he brings to every treatment.
Professional Background
Ryunosuke graduated from a college of traditional Japanese medicine in Tokyo in 2003 and received national qualifications in acupuncture and moxibustion in Japan.
During and after his formal education, he studied with respected Japanese practitioners, including Mitsuhiro Honda in Kanagawa. He later undertook further clinical training in orthopaedics, rheumatology and gynaecology at a hospital in Tokyo.
A defining period in his development came when he moved to Kochi Prefecture to study with Tetsuo Shiomi, a renowned blind acupuncturist and master of traditional Japanese acupuncture. This experience further refined his sensitivity, palpation skills and understanding of classical Japanese treatment methods.
International Experience
In 2011, Ryunosuke moved to London. With financial backing from a company, he led the establishment and launch of the Japan Integrative Acupuncture Clinic at Salisbury House, Finsbury Circus, in the City of London—the heart of London’s financial district. From this central location, he introduced traditional Japanese treatment methods to an international community.
Since 2016, he has been practising in the Netherlands. Through his clinics in Amsterdam and Amstelveen, he continues to share the value of Japanese acupuncture with both local and international clients.
Documentary and New Projects
Alongside his clinical work, Ryunosuke completed a 16-minute documentary filmed in Japan after more than fifteen years in development. The film explores the depth, philosophy and human connection behind traditional Japanese acupuncture.
The documentary was officially selected for the British Documentary Film Festival, the Barcelona Human Rights Film Festival and Faith in Film, and was nominated for the Liverpool Indie Awards 2026.
Ryunosuke is currently developing a new project.
Further details will be shared in the future.
My Mission
My mission is simple: to share the depth of traditional Japanese acupuncture with people beyond Japan.
I do this through my clinical work, documentary filmmaking and the new projects that grow from both.
Whether I am treating one person or creating something for a wider audience, the intention is the same: to preserve the sensitivity and wisdom of this tradition, and to help people reconnect with their bodies in a more natural way.
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