Japan is a beautiful country – there’s no denying it. Even the urban jungles of Tokyo and Osaka, ooze beauty in their own specific ways.
For me, there were two distinct types of beauty in Japan
So let me explain…
The first type of beauty (and the one you’ll likely experience first) is the beauty of “sonder” in those huge urban spaces.
You’ll land into Tokyo, or maybe Osaka – and straight away you’ll be confronted with these sprawling urband landscapes and cities. For most people – it’ll be the biggest cities they’re ever seen.
Suddenly, you are one in several million. A tiny worker ant, dropped into a hive of thousands.
The word ‘Sonder’ (if you don’t know) is the noun for that unique feeling of realisation, when you’re overcome with emotion at the fact that everyone around you is living a life as complex and meaningful as your own.
If I was to sum up how Japan’s cities made me feel – this is very much it. It was so beautiful to look out into a chaotic, urban landscape, and see so many random, intimate moments unfolding before your eyes.
Like people watching, but on steroids.
The photos below, are of that kind of beauty. Beauty of urban spaces, beauty of chaos, beauty of being overwhelmed. Moments I stole from strangers – capturing moments of Sonder.
I’ve tried to describe just what I found beautiful in that moment, for each specific photograph too, so you can see a little bit of what I saw at the time.
The second kind of beauty in Japan…
If the first kind of beauty in Japan is all about bustling streets, busy cities and getting lost in the chaos – the second side of beauty in Japan, is all about solace and genuine, truthful peacefulness.
I found this so easy to come by in Japan. Even the big cities would carve out secluded, special space for mindfulness, spirituality and calm.
The shrines and temples I visited in Japan were amongst the most tranquil and beautiful I had ever witnessed in my life. The level of calm, and the way it washed over you, were unparalleled. I wished I could take some of the peace home with me.
One of my favourite moments of my trip was dicovering Ueno Park in Tokyo, and stumbling upon the Gojoten and Hanazono Inari Shrines. I felt a million miles from the city.
Another highlight was the stunning Japanese Gardens in Fukuoka. I woke up early to get there for opening, and I had the whole place to myself for about 2 hours. It was absolutely magical, and being alone in such a perfectly landscaped garden, really lets you appriciate and soak in all the effort and joy that has been poured into it.
Japan just strikes the balance between two extremes, and you appreciate both the extremes equally, because it’s so easy to get from one to the other. I loved that.
