Mindfulness Travel Japan

Mindfulness Travel Japan is the perfect travel guide to Japan when you need to breathe, pause, focus and relax.

Are you looking to step back from the stress of daily life on your next holiday? In this guide, Japan travel connoisseurs Steve Wide and Michelle Mackintosh offer a selection of some of the most relaxing and mindful destinations and experiences across Japan, so you can just exist in the here and now.

Covering a total of 100 mindful travel experiences, you can enjoy forests carpeted in moss, plant-based food banquets or long walks in zen gardens, losing yourself in Japan’s beauty and nature. Soak in medicinal onsen waters, or have your whole body covered in a hot-sand bath, stay overnight in a traditional ryokan or zen temple. Walk the paths of philosophers and poets, and hike the paths of religious pilgrims. Observe the changing of the leaves or the first flurries of snow. Take a class in calligraphy or learn the art of meditation, spend a day bicycling around ancient temples and shrines. Learn about the different varieties of Japanese tea and the art of tea ceremony.

Mindfulness Travel Japan will show you how to be your best self not just on holiday, but in life.

About the Authors

Steve Wide is a writer and DJ. His long-running British Music radio show Far & Wide has seen him interview countless musicians. He has DJ-ed and run clubs, toured with Primal Scream and The Stone Roses, has a Masters in creative writing and has written reviews for Monocle Books. He also writes a series of books on pop culture called A–Z including Bowie, Prince, Warhol and Grace Jones.

He has written numerous books on Japan, including Tokyo Precincts (2015), Kyoto Pocket Precincts (2016), Onsen of Japan (2018), Tokyo (2018) and Osaka Pocket Precincts (2020). His Japan books have won a design award and have been translated into five languages.

Michelle Mackintosh is a book designer and illustrator with a passion for mixing up the discarded with the new, collaging vintage, cute and modern aesthetics into something totally unique. She has designed dozens of books on a wide range of topics, from cookbooks and craft to city guides and diaries. She has illustrated six books written by her husband Steve Wide, and has worked on books for authors as diverse as Beci Orpin, Antonia Kidman, Margaret Fulton, and John Marsden, to name a few. She has won numerous design awards, and her books have been finalists and received commendations at the APA Book Design Awards. She has also been a judge at the Melbourne Advertising and Design Club (MADC) awards, and in Germany her book design for the Twilight series won book design of the year in its category.

Michelle is a self-confessed stationery nerd, a passionate reader, a history enthusiast, and a lover of all things music and pop culture.