{"id":699,"date":"2024-12-23T23:15:53","date_gmt":"2024-12-23T15:15:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/index.php\/2025\/03\/07\/how-to-find-the-calm-in-japan\/"},"modified":"2025-11-23T09:56:03","modified_gmt":"2025-11-23T01:56:03","slug":"how-to-find-the-calm-in-japan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/?p=699","title":{"rendered":"How to find the calm in Japan"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In Japan, there\u2019s a drive to create and experience things that are bigger, better, faster and stronger than anywhere else in the world. Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo is one of the world’s busiest pedestrian crossings; the Shinkansen bullet train is the second-fastest train in the world at 320km per hour, and is set to get even faster; and the biggest Starbucks in the world can be found in Tokyo’s Meguro district.<\/p>\n

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While this fast-paced sensory overload may not appeal to everyone, Japan’s go-hard approach to entertainment and infrastructure also applies to relaxation and silence. If you’re visiting Japan and want to experience the thrills while also finding space to breathe, you can strike that balance perfectly, because when they do quiet, they do it better than anywhere else in the world.<\/p>\n

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Louise (left) and a pal at Tokyo’s Shibuya Crossing \u00a9 David Byrne<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Wander Tokyo\u2019s streets at night<\/h2>\n

Tokyo is famous for certain pockets of mayhem but it also excels in the calm. It\u2019s easy to get caught up in the rush but if you stay in the quieter areas of the city, like Shinjuku\u2019s City Hotel N.U.T.S., you have the option of dipping in and out of the madness. From Shinjuku it\u2019s easy to walk to popular destinations like Shibuya and Harajuku, avoiding busy train stations as you go. Night-time strolls are fruitful because you can avoid the rush of people getting to and from work and fully appreciate the neon landscape that this city projects into the dark.<\/p>\n

Visit tourist destinations at off-peak times<\/h2>\n

As a tourist in Tokyo, you have the privilege of doing Saturday activities on a Monday night. Golden Gai is a famous intersection of alleyways lined with over 200 ramshackle bars that can seat eight customers at the very most. Visiting on a weekday evening instead of a busy weekend night, I could meander through these crooked streets and take in the personality of every bar. In the Nonbei Yokocho district of Shibuya, there\u2019s a similar set-up in the wonderfully nicknamed Drunkard\u2019s Alley. A lot quieter than Golden Gai, Nonbei Yokocho is home to the intimate Bar Piano (1-25-10 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku). It’s decorated with antique chandeliers, crushed red velvet and regal paintings; the bar itself is a freestanding piano and a maximum of three people fit on the ground floor. If you\u2019re popping in for one drink or just poking your head in out of curiosity, these bars are like a portal into a fantasy land and once that door closes behind you, it feels like the rest of the world is on pause.<\/p>\n

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The foliage-clad, brightly coloured exterior of the Ghibli Museum in Tokyo \u00a9 cowardlion \/ Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Embrace the wonder of the Ghibli Museum<\/h2>\n

Once you step inside Ghibli Museum, located on the outskirts of Inokashira Park in west Tokyo, you\u2019re in the care of Studio Ghibli animator Miyazaki Hayao’s creations Totoro, Yubaba and San. With each room presenting a different treat \u2013 old films reels projecting animation onto the walls, a reconstructed artist\u2019s workroom or an old-fashioned picture house \u2013 there\u2019s a childlike wonderment at handing your imagination over to an animation studio for a couple of hours. Visitors from outside Japan can only purchase tickets from the Ghibli Museum website on the 10th of each month (at 10am Japan time) to visit the following month. The demand is high to visit the museum website at this time so you\u2019ll have to refresh the page a few times before making your purchase. Thankfully, this exclusive approach to selling tickets means that the museum is never overrun, and if you visit closer to the second half of your allotted time, you\u2019ll skip the immediate rush of Ghibli fans.<\/p>\n

Take the time to browse<\/h2>\n

Shimo-Kitazawa is a polite version of London\u2019s Camden High Street. Dotted with boutiques, cafes, tiny bars and curry houses, it\u2019s a browser\u2019s dream. Music lovers should set some time aside to visit Jet Set Records, a vinyl store that specialises in electronic music but has a section dedicated to every genre under the sun. There\u2019s something quite therapeutic about flipping through the store’s collection of thousands of records.<\/p>\n

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Coffee culture is a serious business in Tokyo and by stumbling upon RBL Caf\u00e9, you\u2019ll learn that silence is a serious business too. Designed for small groups or solo visitors, this book cafe is fitted with plenty of plug sockets and allows you to hide away from the world, either to peruse the bookshelves or work as you sample some of their finest blends.<\/p>\n

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Locals grab a late night meal in Osaka \u00a9 Vincent St Thomas \/ Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Always look up<\/h2>\n

To accommodate its massive population and constant turnover of tourists, Japan builds upwards and some of the most interesting things can happen between the fourth and 47th floors. In Osaka, giant prawns, inflated blowfish, mega burgers and gigantic gyozas fill the skyline of the food district Dotombori, leading you in the direction of a satisfying meal. But you\u2019ll also find secluded bars up above in old apartment blocks: Kinguu Bar is an antidote to Osaka\u2019s hectic karaoke-fuelled nightlife. With a playlist that shuffles from Doris Day to a metal version of Mozart, the Victorian goth bar specialises in the juxtaposition of the macabre and the quaint, and is a soundproofed escape from the streets below.<\/p>\n

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A giant pumpkin sculpture by Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama in front of the sea in Naoshima \u00a9 Kenneth Dedeu \/ Shutterstock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Escape the city<\/h2>\n

If serene islands are your bag then Naoshima should top your travel wish-list. It’s a trek from Tokyo \u2013 you have to get the Shinkansen<\/em> (bullet train), then a bus, then a ferry \u2013 but any travel-related stress will dissipate as soon as you arrive on this tiny island in Japan’s Seto Inland Sea. With bicycles being the main mode of transport and nightlife winding down between 10pm and midnight, there\u2019s a different pace of life in this place. Surrounded by skyscraping pine trees, secluded beaches and the constant sound of water lapping at the shore, your senses will be awakened here.<\/p>\n

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Appreciate art in silence<\/h2>\n

Naoshima’s Chichu Art Museum implements a no-camera and no-speaking rule, which enhances the larger-than-life artwork by Claude Monet, James Turrell and Walter De Maria that fills the blanched walls. The underground museum space itself is an impressive architectural feat by Tadao Ando. A short stroll downhill from Chichu is Benesse House Museum. The walkway to the gallery takes in cliffs, beaches and sky, then once inside, you can chat softly and enjoy a gentle approach to ingesting art.<\/p>\n

Recharge in a ryokan and rest up in a bathhouse<\/h2>\n

Staying in a ryokan<\/em>, a traditional Japanese guest house, is one of the most relaxing things you can do in Japan. Leave your shoes at the front door and retreat to your private room, kitted out with a low-level table and sliding wooden doors. The room’s design encourages calm, which should lull you into a deep sleep; ryokan options on the mainland include Uno Port Inn. The only hotel option on Naoshima itself is Benesse House, a boutique hotel that is beautifully designed and doubles as an exhibition space for the Benesse collection.<\/p>\n

Before boarding the ferry back to the mainland, schedule a trip to Naoshima Bath “I Love YU”, the island’s art deco bathhouse. The warm baths and low hum of conversation will leave your body feeling refreshed and soothed.<\/p>\n

Indulge in some five-star luxury<\/h2>\n

After my whirlwind visit to Japan, the calm of Naoshima was the ultimate wind-down. Knowing that reality would hit me like a brick at the check-in gates at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, I spent my final night in the luxurious Park Hyatt, where 2003 movie Lost in Translation<\/em> was set. I wrapped up the evening by taking a late-night swim in the empty pool, and as I sat having breakfast with Mount Fuji keeping an eye on me in the distance, I had the grand send-off needed for such a serene trip.<\/p>\n

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Japan – Book<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In Japan, there\u2019s a drive<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":701,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-699","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tokyo-travel-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/699","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=699"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/699\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1050,"href":"https:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/699\/revisions\/1050"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/701"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=699"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=699"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gagner-des-cadeaux.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=699"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}