Serene Travels: Japan Photo Journal
The last time I set foot on Japanese soil I was nineteen. It also happened to be my first time out of America, so you know, go big or go home. The semester of travel ahead of me was packed full. I had only 3 nights in Tokyo, and I remember little of those 72 hours. I always wished I had more time there. To soak up the culture, to learn to use chopsticks, to file away my own personal nuggets and observations about a land far, far away.
I didn’t ever expect to go back. But we just don’t know what lies ahead of us, do we? When my brother in law got stationed outside of Tokyo, my man and I booked our tickets. For two weeks, the three of us explored as much as we could. I got my little nuggets of a land far, far away.
The main ingredient that made Japan the ultimate inspiration for an organized approach to simple, stylish living: the well-thought out efficiency that goes into every aspect of city planning. That’s at the very heart of A Serene Space’s purpose – to bring efficiency to my clients’ lives through organization and systems that work for you. Japan nailed it.
Enjoy my photo journal – and a few explanations – below.
T H E B I C Y C L E S O F J A P A N
S T R E E T S C E N E S
a yellow textured path (or "Tactile Ground Surface Indicators") to guide the blind on every sidewalk.
a pedestrian stop sign.
It is a clean and civilized nation. And such cleanliness and politeness lands on the citizens’ shoulders to maintain. There are no trashcans anywhere on any street. I carried my trash all day long until I returned home, then separated it into flamables and recycling. Myself a former New Yorker, the subways were particularly impressive. Not a speck of trash. Not one person listening to loud music or on his/her cell phone. Peace and quiet amongst the crowds.
Yokosuka, Japan.
a subway stop. Yokosuka, Japan.
a subway map & ticketing boothes. Kyoto, Japan.
bike lanes for staircases. #efficiency
H I S T O R I C A L S I T E S
The Great Buddha. Kamakura, Japan.
The Golden Temple. Kyoto, Japan.
To-ji Temple. Kyoto, Japan.
Todai-Ji Temple. Nara, Japan.
Todai-Ji Temple.The world's largest wooden structure. Nara, Japan.
The deer of Nara, Japan.
Nara, Japan.
Meiji Shrine. Tokyo, Japan.
Meiji Shrine.
Sake barrels at the entrance of Meiji Shrine. Tokyo, Japan.
T O K Y O S K Y T R E E
The second tallest structure in the world clocking in at 2,080 ft high.
CHINATOWN IN YOKOHAMA, JAPAN
dumplings, super-sized.
a statue of Ganesha, God of Wisdom.
THE UMBRELLA SITUATION
Umbrellas are the most popular accessory – used in both rain and shine. An umbrella = sunscreen. It makes sense. The sun is merciless (what would my Irish skin have done without my floppy hat, I ask you?).
GREENERY
Maruni Restaurant
My man found Maruni on a meat blog and we went there for some Wagyu our last night in Japan. Our table was an oil drum, and within the drum, a fire pit grilled the meat. My man is more adventuresome than I in the food department, so full disclosure: I opted for a late afternoon sushi fest then served as the photographer for the meal. However, the chef did insist I try a piece of Wagyu served with wasabi, and guys, I will think of that bite o’ meat til my dying day. And my mouth will always water.
Okay back to the foodie adventure. The guys ordered the “Maruni Course.” I know no other way to describe it than a tour of a cow, from tongue to tush. Literally. I’m not kidding. See for yourself below. There's even a map of a cow on the menu.
a salad & kimchi to cleanse the palette.
bring on the fine slices of meat & have at it.
...plus some veggies to throw on that grill.
the organ meats
a return to the melt-in-your-mouth cuts.
a chilled soup to cleanse the palette.
a light dessert.. because who has room for more?
WELLBEING
Allow me a few words about health and wellbeing whilst traveling. Hear me out.
A flight across the world is hard on my bod, guys. I’m good at hydrating; I can accept that I won’t sleep a wink. But oh boy, do my ankles swell. After sitting up for so long, I had epic cankles. What’s more, throughout the two weeks of exploration, we walked. A ton. And every night, the cankles returned. So I called on my yogic knowledge (another story for another time) and instituted a nightly Viparita Karani practice (images below). For ten minutes at a time, I used this simple pose to combat the swelling. I added it to my (teeny tini) daily practice, and it made such a difference. I found it so restorative. This is now my go-to travel pose. It’s just so easy I had to share.
Viparita Karani.
Lastly, this is just a shout out to anyone who deals with gluten intolerance (like me). There’s a lot of gluten in Japan. Gluten is in soy sauce, which is in basically every dish. So I packed supplies. Tamari (pictured below) is gluten free soy sauce. And these packs were lifesavers! In addition, I had a good amount of nuts and bars to get me through long afternoons of rambling about town. Healthy hearty snacks are always a good idea, no matter where I go. A grocery store or a melon-on-a-stick will never, ever let me down either.
