A List of Mind-Body Resources in Tokyo
A comprehensive list of services and healers for mental/emotional/spiritual wellbeing
Note, if you are receiving this by email, you will have to open this post in the Substack app to view the full list.
After having lived in the US and Europe, one of my biggest challenges in Japan was finding the communities and resources to continue my spiritual journey and healing. That’s one reason I started Tokyo Mindfulness, to bring together people and meet each other wherever we’re at in our journeys.
My personal interests are wide-ranging and I love to try/experiment with new modalities. A couple of years ago I created a list of resources that I have personally tried in Japan, or that have been recommended to me. I have updated this list now on Substack below and will keep adding new resources to it occasionally.
Many, but not all, of these services are bilingual. Please reach out if you’d like to add something to the list or comment directly below on this post.
Therapy 🧠
Tokyo Mental Health has a group of certified English-speaking therapists who are available in person or online. Wait list for in-person therapy is usually a month, but you can get an online therapist much sooner. They have a range of specialists from trauma to CBT. https://www.tokyomentalhealth.com/
Meguro Counseling is a smaller group experienced in individual counseling for children, adolescents and adults, marriage and couples counseling (particularly inter-cultural counseling for Japanese-Western couples), family counseling, divorce counseling, life counseling, career counseling and coaching, and group psychotherapy. https://www.megurocounseling.com/therapist_profiles.html
TELL Japan. Tell has a free hotline both Chat and Phone that anyone can use in English. If you or someone you know is really struggling and needs to talk to someone right now, they are the best option. They also offer counseling/therapy services.
International Mental Health Professionals Japan (IMHPJ) is a platform where you can find therapists in Japan with international licenses and experience. They are often booked out, but very experience, and it is worth a try.
Online therapy
Therapy Garden is an online therapy service provided by therapist Diya John (B.A. Psychology, M.S. Psychology). Her aim is to make evidence-based mental health care more accessible for members of the international community including expats of different nationalities in and around Japan, people in cross-cultural relationships & Japanese returnees.
Therapy Garden offers different pricing options for one-on-one counseling starting at ¥8,500/ session, with a free 50 minute initial consultation and easy online booking.
BetterHelp: If finding or booking a therapist is difficult for you in person in Japan, there are tons of online services in English. For example, I’ve used BetterHelp which is relatively affordable (about 10,000 yen per session) and has a huge list of therapists to choose from.
Coaching 🎯
There are tons of great coaches based in Japan that can help w/ everything from careers to life transitions to getting over whatever roadblock you have. You can find many directly on LinkedIn, and many of them are actively posting content. Usually you start with a 30 minute intro call and then pay per hour or buy a package/commit to work for a certain period of time. Here are a few I trust:
Leadership & executive coaching:
Executive coaching and Enneagram coaching: Michael Sloyer
Ikigai coaching: Jennifer Shinkai
Fitness coaching: Menya Hinga
Emotional intelligence coaching: Lana Suvorova
Coaching for recruiters: Levi Pells
Coaching for freelances: Robbie McFarlane
Mindfulness coaching: Misha Yurchenko
Somatic Experiencing
Somatic Experiencing, developed by Peter Levine, is a therapeutic approach that focuses on healing trauma and restoring the body's natural ability to self-regulate. This was transformational for me in healing from post-traumatic-stress disorder. Resetting your nervous system is often the missing piece for people who find themselves getting easily triggered or disconnected.
—> There are many SE therapists in Japan and you can see a full list here.
I worked with Sachiko Okuno (info@c-sunnyside.com) who speaks some English, and she is very good. I would also recommend Michelle Pietrzak-Wegner, who is a somatically-trained therapist.
Mindfulness meditation
Tokyo Mindfulness : We host weekly retreats, workshops and meditation sessions in and around Tokyo in English. View all of our events here!
meetup.com: You can browse for different meditation groups on meetup, many of them which are also in English. This is getting more popular in Japan lately.
Human Potential Lab: Mostly in Japanese, this community hosts different events from hikes to sweat lodges and tantric retreats
Craniosacral therapy
Gentle, hands-on therapy that promotes the natural healing rhythm of your body. Jonas is an easy-going therapist who is familiar with opening nervous system blockages and rebalancing chakras.
Jonas Blume from Tokyo Therapy Center
Whatsapp: +81 80-4806-4454
https://tokyotherapycenter.com/craniosacral-therapy/
Hypnosis 🌌
Unlock the power of your mind and tap into your subconscious for transformative change and personal growth. I’ve had a few sessions with Marie who lives in Tokyo and was trained in London. She combines cognitive behavioral therapy to get to the root of an issue, and then reprograms your beliefs/stories with hypnosis.
Marie Solange
Whatsapp: +81 80-1483-6225
https://tokyotherapycenter.com/hypnotherapy-stress-management/
Osteopathy
A mix of physiotherapy and chiropractic. The French duo, Sebastian and Julien, work together to rebalance both your skeletal and muscular systems. Great for anyone, including pregnant women.
Julien
Whatsapp: +81 70-3227-2113
https://tokyotherapycenter.com/osteopathy/
Chiropractor 🦴
Tokyo Chiro. Adjust your spine and get rid of that annoying back pain. I also found that spinal alignment was key in my burnout recovery, as releasing the physical tension allowed for my body to heal emotionally and mentally. The main chiropractor, Kei, was trained in Australia and is bilingual. Kei Takeyachi Phone: 03-3478-2713. E-mail: info@tokyochiro.com
Yuji Kitano is a great bilingual physio therapist in Chigaski. https://m.youtube.com/@LivePainFreeKitanoMethod
Float tanks 🌊
Sensory deprivation in a specially designed tank filled with saltwater. I find it much easier to get into a state of deep meditation in a float tank. Actually you don’t need to try to meditate, it just happens. It’s also super relaxing and is a nice “reset” for the day.
Sel Flotte
Yoga 🧘♀️
My friend Yu Mizuno has bilingual yoga sessions in central Tokyo and also does Sound Healing meditation https://www.instagram.com/just_be_yu_self/
Brighton Studio: bilingual yoga sessions in Daikanyama
Nami Yoga studio: bilingual yoga sessions in Shibuya
Kundalini yoga 🐍
Kundalini is a concept rooted in ancient yogic traditions and refers to a dormant spiritual energy or life force believed to reside at the base of the spine. It is often represented as a coiled serpent, symbolizing the potential for transformative energy within an individual. Maiko, who is a very experienced and certified bilingual yoga teacher, has lessons every week.
Maiko Kurata (and other teachers)
https://www.yogaforeverybody.tokyo/english
Breathwork and ice baths ❄️
Rens runs bilingual Wim Hof retreats, barefoot hikes and ice baths almost every week. Also hikes up Mt Fuji with only shoes and shorts. He is trilingual - Japanese, English and Dutch - and is a certified instructor. If you want to get out of your comfort zone and learn the science and techniques behind deep, transformative breathwork, then he is the man!
See events on FB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/wimhofmethodbyshinichiandrens
Barefoot hikes 👣
Rob Nugen, a.k.a Barefoot Rob has been going barefoot for over 20 years, and over 14 years in Tokyo! He hosts a men’s circle as well as barefoot hikes and walks open to all experience levels. Connect with him here https://www.robnugen.com/en/
Vipassana retreat centers
There are two Vipassana centers in Japan, one in Chiba and Kyoto, that offer Goenka-style retreats monthly ranging from 3 to 10 day retreats and longer. They have limited capacity and wait lists, but if you can get on the list, these retreats are very powerful! Recently they have started to do shorter retreats, like half day and one day retreats in central Tokyo, so subscribe to their newsletter to get updates.
Zen centers
There are various centers around Japan but one of the easiest and most accessible is the Kenchoji temple in Kamakura open to anyone on Friday and Saturday evenings: https://www.city.kamakura.kanagawa.jp/visitkamakura/en/places-to-go/temples/kenchoji.html
Waterfall meditation
Seizan Bessou at the top of Mt. Mitake offers sacred Waterfall meditation, hiking and crystal bowl healing in a cool little hut with Hashimoto-san. Message him on Line or email to book. https://www.seizan.gr.jp/ and Email: hfrrj935@yahoo.co.jp
Another place to do waterfall meditation I have been to is near Opark, a glamping village. The Zen temple nearby offers Meditation and Waterfall meditation. This is in Saitama and about 1.5 hours from central Tokyo
—> List of waterfall meditation activities and others in Japan (in Japanese) on AsoView: https://www.asoview.com/
Crystal Bowls
Crystal bowls are made of various types of quartz crystals, which produce pure tones and vibrations when struck or played with a mallet. The tones and frequencies emitted by the crystal bowls are believed to resonate with the body's energy centers (chakras), promoting balance and harmony. There are a few people doing this in Tokyo, but I did a session with Magali, who’s a local full-time sound bath sensei in Tokyo and has a studio in Asukasa-bashi.
Reserve:
https://crystal-soundbath.com/
Ecstatic Dance
If you want to dance off some stress but don’t feel like going to a club late at night, you can try joining and Ecstatic Dance event. Ecstatic Dance Tokyo has monthly bilingual events where you can dance freely with a group of fun and likeminded people https://www.instagram.com/ecstaticdancetokyo/
Trauma Release Exercise (TRE)
A technique that I have found effective to shake off stress and trauma is Tension-Release Exercises aka "TRE." This is a safe and powerful way to let go of built up stress and trauma that's practiced by thousands of people all around the world.
You can email Akiko who is a certified TRE professional at spring.akikos@gmail.com or reach out to her on Instagram to schedule a private or group session. https://www.instagram.com/tre_nadiya/
Vitamin C intravenous injections
Myers cocktails and other vitamin C injections are intravenous (IV) therapies that deliver a combination of nutrients, including vitamin C, directly into the bloodstream. These therapies are used to support overall health, boost immune function, and address various health conditions. This is especially effective when its hot and humid outside, if you’re exercising a lot, or are going to/just got back from a long trip.
Azabu skin clinic offers them for about 15,000 yen 20,000 yen
Psychedelics/ psychoactive substances
Consuming psychedelics is not legal in Japan and you shouldn’t break the law. However, you can legally buy (but not legally consume) peyote which has the psychoactive alkaline mescaline at any large plant shop in Japan; the genus and species name is lophophora williamsii. You can easily find these on Amazon or Rakuten. https://search.rakuten.co.jp/search/mall/lophophora+williamsii/
While THC is illegal in Japan, at the moment, you can buy derivatives of THC called THC-H in many CBD shops around Tokyo. In 2024 the government really cracked down on this and reduced the maximum amount you could have in one dose, which severely limited the types of products stores can sell. The laws/regulations are always changing on this so please be aware that this might not be up to date.