I began at my go-to favorite Tokyo district, Asakusa, where I checked in at my go-to favorite inn, Shigetsu Ryokan — just a block from the famous Sensoji Temple. It was dark and I was beat from the long flight, but I decided to traverse the narrow alleyways to checkout an extremely small jazz dive called Soul Trane — jazz and Japan, can’t get better than that. The next morning I set off on a two-hour bus ride to Lake Kawaguchiko at the base of beautiful Mount Fuji, where I had a picturesque view of this iconic landmark from my tatami floored ryokan. It was fortuitous to just happen to arrive here on the last day of the annual Mt. Fuji Kawaguchiko Jazz Festival. The organizers treated me like royalty and the setting couldn’t have been better. Basking in the Fuji Yurari Hot Springs, au naturel, with Mount Fuji as beautiful backdrop was therapeutic in every way (sorry, no photos). Back to Tokyo I had a day to visit several areas I hadn’t been to in a long time: Shinjuku, Shibuya, Meiji Shrine, Harajuku and Roppongi Hills. Can’t get enough of this place!
