Japan

Japan doesn’t ask for attention. It invites it – softly, through detail.
Between the stillness of Kyoto’s gardens and the quiet rhythm of a Tokyo café, everything feels considered.

Not a checklist, but a collection – of spaces, tastes and small rituals worth remembering.

Tokyo / A City in Motion and Stillness

The Essence of Tokyo

Tokyo balances contrast with intention. From narrow alleys humming with life to skyline views wrapped in dusk – the city speaks in stillness and rhythm. Fast, but never rushed. Calm, but never quiet. A place for slow observers, early risers, and those who find beauty in detail.

Where to stay

  • The Knot Shinjuku

    A design-led boutique hotel with a soft industrial soul. Affordable, stylish, and tucked in a part of town that feels more local than central.
    → Best for: design lovers / budget-conscious / morning walks in the park

  • Park Hyatt Tokyo

    A timeless cinematic icon with skyline views and hushed luxury. Think ‘Lost in Translation’, only quieter.
    → Best for: luxury seekers / city dreamers / bath-with-a-view moments

Where to eat

  • Uogashi Nihon-Ichi (Standing Sushi Bar)

    No frills. No reservations. Just fast, fresh, and real.
    → Budget-friendly / Authentic Tokyo / Local-only vibe

  • Yakiniku Futago Shinjuku West

    Tokyo turned up. Loud, sizzling, unapologetically alive. Try the marble cuts, feel the grill heat, and lose yourself in meat poetry.
    → Mid-range / High energy / Meat lovers

Where to shop

  • Akari Showroom at Ozeki Lantern

    A luminous, quiet space filled with handcrafted lanterns. More a gallery than a shop.
    → Best for: minimalists / design purists / gifts to ship home

  • Monocle Café Tokyo

    Curated calm. Sip espresso, read, write, or simply watch Tokyo’s tempo.
    → Ideal for: quiet mornings / solo time / creative flow

Lime Studio Note

I found Tokyo in a pause between moments – sipping coffee in a side street while school uniforms brushed past, or standing at a sushi bar where no one spoke but everything was said. It’s a city that doesn’t perform – it simply is.

Fresh fish and seafood on display at a sushi restaurant, with chefs preparing food behind the counter and diners sitting nearby.
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Kyoto / Where Time is a Ceremony

The Essence of Kyoto

Time slows in Kyoto. Each moment is offered like a ritual: a temple garden swept at dawn, a cup of matcha served without words, the faint scent of cedar in the air. It’s not about pace or place — it’s about presence.

Where to stay

  • Hotel Androoms Kyoto Shichijo

    Clean lines, gentle tones, and thoughtful details. A quiet, affordable base close to temples and rivers.
    → Best for: minimal design / walkable mornings / quiet nights

  • Aman Kyoto

    Hidden in a forest at the city's edge, this sanctuary blends refined minimalism with Japanese tradition. Exceptional and intimate.
    → Best for: deep stillness / forest immersion / architectural purity

Where to eat

  • Tai Sushi

    Pure, focused, and seasonally driven. An understated counter with graceful precision.
    → Best for: slow lunches / solo moments / seasonal flow

    Man’naka

    Cozy, vibrant, and always full. Local dishes with warmth and a welcoming atmosphere.
    → Best for: casual dinner / authentic Kyoto vibe / comfort food done right

Where to shop

  • Ippodo Tea House

    Tea, silence, ritual. A space to experience Kyoto not through sights, but senses.
    → Best for: matcha moments / tradition / quiet contemplation

  • D&Department Kyoto

    Objects with soul. A curated space for thoughtful design and lasting utility.
    → Best for: design lovers / souvenirs with purpose

Lime Studio Note

I never tried to “see” Kyoto. I simply stayed with it. Somewhere between a cedar forest and the steam of udon, I stopped searching. That’s when it revealed itself.

View through an open gate to a tranquil Japanese garden pathway lined with lanterns, lush greenery, and trees, leading to traditional-style buildings with tiled roofs.
A narrow city street in Japan on a rainy evening, with several people holding umbrellas, illuminated signs, and red paper lanterns along the storefronts.

Naoshima / The Island that Thinks in Silence

The Essence of Naoshima

Tucked away in the Seto Inland Sea, Naoshima feels less like a destination and more like an idea. An island shaped by architecture, framed by silence, and softened by salt air. It’s a place where museums blend into hillsides, art lives inside light, and time folds into thought.

A space not to explore, but to absorb. Not loud. Not fast. Just present.

Where to stay

  • Benesse House – Museum and hotel in one. Stay in a Tadao Ando-designed space where the art never sleeps, and the walls feel like whispers.
    → Best for: architecture lovers / sunrise walks / immersive calm

  • Wright Style Guesthouse – Quiet, minimal, and close to everything. A modest base with thoughtful design and island rhythm.
    → Best for: slow mornings / solo trips / grounded simplicity

What to see

  • Chichu Art Museum – Underground, sunlit, infinite. A sensory space curated with exacting grace.
    → Monet / Ando / light as language

  • Art House Project – Abandoned homes reimagined by artists. Wandering through these is like walking through someone else’s dream.
    → Unexpected / fragile / human

  • Yayoi Kusama’s Yellow Pumpkin – A symbol, a sculpture, a photo, a pause. Found by the sea – if the tide allows.
    → Best at dawn or dusk, best when alone

Lime Studio Note

There are places I haven’t seen yet – but feel like I already know.
Naoshima lives in that space. Concrete and water. Stillness and shape. It’s not just on the list – it stays there, waiting, like a thought you’re not ready to finish.

A large decorative pumpkin sculpture with black and yellow pattern sits on a concrete pier by the water at sunset, with ships and mountains in the background.