Japan, Mapped: Journey Through Joy, Place & Preparedness
The places I visited, the lessons I carried home, and the stories still unfolding
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, but 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.
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, 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. My worst case worry finally came true, and I lost my passport which resulted in travel delays. Fun didn’t end there, as there were wrong turns, travel mishaps, and moments of tearful overwhelm, all which made the story more dramatic.
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 ideas of wabi-sabi and kintsugi.
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 of where I went, but of what I learned, and what I’m aiming to carry forward on this journey of life.
Stories from the Journey
Maximum Fun: I Finally Arrived in Japan
A Joyful Journey to Japan: The KonMari Retreat Begins
What Does It Mean to Follow Your Tokimeki?
A Joyful Journey to Japan: Craft, Community, and the Heart of the KonMari Retreat
What Kintsugi Taught Me About Repair and Life
A Joyful Journey to Japan: The KonMari Retreat in Tokyo
A Joyful Journey to Japan: After the KonMari Retreat
Making Space for Pure Joy at Tokyo Disneyland
What Japan Taught Me About Being Practically Prepared
The Best Shopping Day of My Life
Zazen Mediation at the Ryosoku-in Zen Buddhist Temple