Tokyo feels like it should be the last place on earth you’d find peace. Thirty-seven million people, neon everywhere, trains every two minutes, vending machines on every corner selling things you didn’t know existed. But after spending two weeks there, I discovered that this massive city has mastered something that smaller places often struggle with: the art of finding calm within chaos.
It started at Senso-ji Temple in Asakusa. I expected a tourist trap, but arrived early one morning before the crowds and found myself in this pocket of stillness that felt completely removed from the city around it. The incense, the quiet prayers, the careful movements of people preparing for their day. It was meditation disguised as everyday routine.