Koren Yoga

Saying goodbye to Tokyo from the Imperial Gardens. There is no better place to let a country slowly leave you. Ancient maple trees, stone pathways, the moat reflecting the clouds moving in the sky. Ending a brilliant trip with the quiet sense that something beautiful is still ahead.

Standing on the bridge from the film Perfect Days If you’ve seen Wim Wenders’ breathtaking film, you’ll know this bridge as the one Hirayama cycles across.

From there, a hidden nine-seat yakitori bar up a narrow staircase, one of those only-in-Tokyo recommendations.

And then, one more kissa-this one extraordinarily high end with pristine sound.

Only in Tokyo, a California-inspired restaurant hosting a ramen pop-up. We went with our new friends Eigo and Erika and the whole thing was as fun and delicious as it sounds. Tokyo has this extraordinary ability to take something familiar and make it entirely its own. Afterwards we headed to a kissa, a vinyl listening bar, and let the music do the rest.

We started at a lively izakaya with Erika, a chef with serious credentials including Gjusta, great food, fun conversation, lively energy.

Then a stop at Kodomo no Ki (Tree of Children), the extraordinary 1985 sculpture by legendary Japanese avant-garde artist Taro Okamoto, with its unforgettable cascade of expressive faces.

We ended the night at the memorable bar from Lost in Translation, high above the city with Tokyo glittering below.

After checking into the stunning Hoshinoya Tokyo, complete with a rooftop hot spring on the 17th floor, we met up with Tomoko, Leslie’s dear friend from her Tokyo days. She took us to her neighborhood sushi bar where a punk rock chef served us the most delicious omakase meal. Then we concluded our evening at the bar on the 52nd floor of the Four Seasons hotel.

The Great Buddha of Kamakura. Cast in bronze in 1252 and standing nearly 43 feet tall, this magnificent Amida Buddha has witnessed almost 800 years of Japanese history. He once sat inside a great wooden temple hall, until typhoons and a tsunami in the late 1400s swept it away. And yet he remained, unmoved, serene, open to the sky ever since.

Nestled near the base of Mt. Fuji, this is where we slowed down completely. A lovely traditional Japanese hotel where every room had its own private hot spring tub on the balcony- soaking in mineral-rich waters with Hakone’s misty mountains all around us. Meals were served in a private room- course after course of exquisite Japanese cuisine.

The Great Buddha of Kamakura. Cast in bronze in 1252 and standing nearly 43 feet tall, this magnificent Amida Buddha has witnessed almost 800 years of Japanese history. He once sat inside a great wooden temple hall, until typhoons and a tsunami in the late 1400s swept it away. And yet he remained, unmoved, serene, open to the sky ever since.

Four wonderful days in Kyoto where we wandered into a beauty layered and unhurried. At night we visited two jazz kissas, those uniquely Japanese listening cafés where you sit in reverent silence and listen music. Mari, who worked at our tiny inn, and I became friends during our stay.

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Saihoji-the Moss Temple of Kyoto.

We began by copying a Buddhist sutra by hand in the ancient hall, a meditative act that quieted the mind before we even stepped into the garden.

And then we walked in. Over 120 varieties of moss, every shade of green imaginable, carpeting the ground and ancient tree roots in something that can only be described as otherworldly.

I have visited many sacred places. This one was different. I felt as though I had stepped through a veil, communing with something, or someone, on the other side.

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