#ninenzaka

OFF TO A SPIRITUAL JOURNEY Down to the smallest crevasse of thy soul

January, my January, you just gifted me something I will hold on to forever, at a perfect time when I’m in my most relentless pursuit for self-discovery or perhaps reinforcing the way of life I have always wanted for myself. With hopeful eyes, let me wake up each morning with something beautiful to look forward to.

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Japan, I’ve fallen for you far deeper than I ever imagined. You have touched my core, and the cracks of my soul that desire to live this life with exhilaration, yet still yearning to come back to the peaceful corners of my mind and the calmness of one’s heart. And with these memories made, I just know that we will meet each other again on so many occasions of this dear life.

The Supercut:

Late night car ride with Wence and Geo. Airport things x red eye flight. Touchdown Osaka, Japan. Morning Train Rides and walks. Met Taro-san. Dotonbori Nights. Hello Mr. Glico Man. Ramen stories. Konbini midnights. Cozy film mentoring sessions. Osaka Day with Wence and Geo. Shinsekai x Tsukenkaku Tower. Visited Osaka Castle. Blue hour coffee breaks. Shinsaibashi walks. Studio Ghibli shop. Hi No Face and Totoro. Day Three with Geo. Lunch at Karaage Place. Photobiking alone at Konohana. Tried Japan’s Mcdonald’s. LADY GAGA’S MAYHEM BALL. Feels surreal that I met and heard my heroine, Lady Gaga, live! And I live for moments like this! North Osaka Day with Wence. Minoh Park’s calmness. Umeda’s hustle and bustle. Nara Day with Wence. Café Fluke. Met the cute deers. Amazing Todai-ji Temple. Attended the Wakakusa Yamayaki Mountain Burning Festival. Dotonbori’s Bic Camera film rolls shopping. Kyoto Day with Wence and Geo. Hello there, first ever snow in my lifetime! Fushimi-inari Shrine’s tori gates. Lunch at a grandma’s teahouse. Kyoto bus rides. Hello Kyoto Tower. Snowfall at Kiyomizu-dera Temple. Explored Ninenzaka Old Street. Matcha breaks. Another Studio Ghibli shop. Umeda’s Ramen night. Fun booze nights with the airbnb crew! Uji Day with Wence. Brutalist station. Ramen for lunch x Matcha shopping. Serene photowalk at the streets down to the riverside. Bridges and temples at golden hour. Shinkansen rides. Favorite Karaage Place again! Arashiyama Day with Wence. Udons to Coffees to Bamboo Forest. Enjoyed the riverside once again. Arabica Coffee break. Walking at Toriitomoto’s Streets. Bought incense with free origami birds. Kimono Forest. Send-off Booze night with airbnb crew! Explored Osaka one last time. Omamori from Shitenno-ji Temple. Shopping at Don Quijote. Full circle moment with Mr. Glico Man. Last minute packing. Goodbye Room 305. One last dinner at my favorite Karaage Place. Train Rides to airport. Airport stories with Wence. Goodbye Japan. Until we meet again.

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What a great welcome to 2026, a year for bold decisions and forward momentum, then returning home to wield your spiritual power. Today I am manifesting a life of abundance and a fruitful year not just for me but also to you — wherever you are dwelling in this spinning earth.

Kyoto by Takami Watanabe

[April 2019] Ninenzaka, Kyoto, Japan