Japan, Mapped: Joy, Place & Preparedness
The places I visited, the lessons I carried home, and the stories still unfolding
Explore the Map - Watch the Video
In May 2026, I embarked on one of the most anticipated trips of my life: a journey to Japan, shaped in large part by my desire to explore the country through the lens of the KonMari Method®.
Marie Kondo, Tokyo, May 2026
Marie Kondo may be best known for helping people decide which possessions spark joy, and her work has long represented something larger to me. At its heart, the KonMari Method is about learning to recognize what belongs in the next chapter of our lives and creating space for whatever that might be. I wanted to better understand how ideas such as ritual, simplicity, beauty, care, and intentional living are expressed in the culture from which her philosophy emerged. Also, I’d always been fascinated by Japan; the people, the culture, the place!
At the center of the journey was a KonMari retreat that brought together organizers from over ten countries. We traveled from Kyoto to Kanazawa, Yamashiro Onsen, Shirakawa-go, and Tokyo, exploring temples, gardens, traditional homes, food, craft, and the many ways attention and intention shape daily life. We practiced zazen meditation, kintsugi, studied calligraphy, reflected on TokiMeki, and spent time learning with Marie Kondo, her husband Takumi, and members of the wider KonMari community.
My time in Japan extended beyond the retreat. Before and after, I traveled with friends and on my own, visited disaster-preparedness facilities, wandered through temples and crowded train stations, ate some of the best food of my life, threw nunchucks at a samurai museum, shopped, got thoroughly and repeatedly lost, pedaled a swan boat, and spent one magical afternoon at Tokyo Disneyland.
Exploring Shirakawa-go Historic Village
The journey was not always smooth. There were wrong turns, travel mishaps, and moments of tearful overwhelm, all which made the story more memorable.
Throughout this evolving map-blog experiment, I will explore what I carried home:
joy as a compass,
preparedness as an act of care,
the relationship between people and place,
and the Japanese concepts I learned along the way.
Repeatedly, Japan reminded me that a meaningful life is not one in which everything unfolds perfectly. It is one in which we are present, accept and respond to what is, and allow even the cracks to become a part of our stories.
The map below traces the journey through the places and adventures that shaped it. As related posts are published, they will be added here. Some will be centered on a particular location or experience, and others following an idea that found me along my travels.
Together, they tell the story not only places I visited, but of what I learned, and what I’m aiming to carry forward on this journey of life.
KonMari Japan Retreat Recap Video
A Joyful Journey to Japan, Mapped
Stories from the Journey
What Does It Mean to Follow Your Tokimeki?
What Kintsugi Taught Me About Repair and Life
A Joyful Journey to Japan: The KonMari Retreat in Tokyo
Onigiri: A love letter to Japan’s Soul Food
A Joyful Journey to Japan: After the KonMari Retreat
A Golden Afternoon at Tokyo Disneyland
Zazen Mediation at the Ryosoku-in Zen Buddhist Temple