We had two massages, both in our hotel rooms. The first was an older gentleman who delivered some excellent shiatsu, which I haven’t had since acupuncture school in about 2002. It was really lovely. Shiatsu is essentially acupressure along the meridians, the channels where energy flows.

The second session was with a young lady who, unfortunately, mistook force for technique. She bruised my upper back and hamstrings. After that experience (and remembering Thailand), I decided not to go for acupuncture. As much as I wanted to try it, I only wanted treatment from someone truly skilled, and I wasn’t sure how to find that, since Yelp isn’t really a thing in Japan.

We enjoyed a tea ceremony with traditional garb.

This is the blessing and curse of having truly wonderful practitioners here: I am not willing to settle for mediocre! Of course I’m sure there were plenty of incredible acupuncturists in Japan. I just didn’t have a way to find them.

Our first night in Tokyo, in a local izakaya (like a British pub). Our new friend is Katsu. He had no English, but we understood each other perfectly.