MIchael Unplugged- A week in Kyoto (reprinted from the Lotus & Michael company blog) First in our Japan series

 Michael Unplugged- A week in Kyoto

Mission Accomplished and Lessons Learned

Today’s world is full of stress. 

External, Internal. External causes Internal and vice versa.

So how can you be effective, maybe even happy? Whether you can or not will affect you and those who depend on you, whether that is family or staff or both.

It is easy to be plugged in too tight, to be in a constant state of arousal and always uncomfortable. Not sure if this applies to you? Look in the mirror. No, really look.

IF you see what I think you will see, there are two issues to be addressed:

1. How do you unplug? Not just go somewhere for a holiday, if part of your brain is still at work or home, GO somewhere. All of you. Physical AND Mental.

2. In your everyday life, how do you learn the zen of coping with stress, leading others and not falling victim to the inevitable crashes and surprises?

Let’s deal with #1 first. 

First priority is to go somewhere that allows you to unplug and relax. If you go somewhere that features the same noise and crowds (stressful!) that you are used to from home, you wasted your money.

Secondly, the facilities and people should support unplugging. A large hotel with a crowded beach and pool won’t do it. 

So when Lotus said, “Let’s go to Kyoto for Spring Break” I wasn’t sure taking a trip that far for one week wouldn’t be stressful and just be the same stress in a different country.

But, she was right, because the way she designed and curated the trip allowed us to unplug, yet also see the other side of crowds and noise, which we could avoid. Don’t get me wrong, Kyoto is the ancient capital of Japan and receives 75 million visitors each year. So how did we manage to find places to unplug?

The key to the experience was where we stayed—a typical Japanese home on a commercial alley in the Gion district but, like everything else, the commerce and the area was tranquil and nature was preserved. Here’s a look:

 

 

Good start, right? Now where do we go to capture the tranquility we so much want to find in Kyoto? 

We start with the Nanzen-Ji temple, a short bicycle ride from where we are staying. Originally built in 1295, it was rebuilt after burning in 1628. The entire structure, with its gates and gardens, reflects the strength of antiquity and the serenity of delicate handling of nature. What a place to detox your brain and reflect on what is important to you and to the world!

 

 

 

Near the temple, a stretch called Philosopher’s Path which is lined with Sakura trees. Unfortunately, we were a little early in the season, but I still could find one blooming:

 

The detox continues. We take 2 buses (very efficient) to the Cypress Forest, known as Kozan-Ji, and find ourselves among centuries-old trees that are undisturbed and provide air and beauty (and great ice cream).

 

 

 

Can you visualize yourself unplugged—really unplugged-- in this environment?

Good! Treat yourself to an ice cream to sweeten the deal.

  

But, every big city, especially tourist attractions, is a magnet for commerce. With commerce comes crowds and noise. We read that we could find fresh fish at the Nishiki Market; so we went there. What we found was not worthy of buying and was one shop among hundreds in a gridlock of crowds.

People who come for vacation to Kyoto or any other location and do not spend their time with the historic and natural elements cannot decompress and, whether they admit it or not, derive no mental pause after traveling halfway around the world.

Finally, food. My favorite subject. Rather than eat outside every day and leave the quality and taste to someone else (at a high price), we elected to shop the market around the corner and Lotus prepared Japanese-style meals with Japanese ingredients, including the ever-present miso, and the amazingly delicious and healthy natto. Of course, we also took advantage of the local beverages, sake and shochu (Japanese fruity vodka). (See our YouTube video for a real-time look at a day at home and Lotus’ preparation of meals: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDaK49AoF_A&t=37s )

What I learned

• When I returned to the US after one week in Kyoto, I recognized that I was part of something I never would have imagined before, all curated by Lotus and provided by Japan and the Japanese culture:

o A real unplugging—by the authenticity of the experience, I was able to immerse myself in a different environment and take full advantage of the serenity it offered.

o How did we find serenity if we lived in the middle of a big city? The answer lies in two things: 

 How we approached it and

 The environment offered by Kyoto and Japanese culture. What do I mean by that? Everything from the supermarket food to the environment in the temples and tourist sites shines with humble quality, where nothing is out of place, and nothing is left to wonder or worry about.

 So this teaches us a valuable lesson for personal and business use: Trust your materials, Trust your thought process, Trust your quality, Trust your peers. Trust. Takes the tension out of everything.

 Most importantly, Trust yourself.

• If I have learned anything through many years of global business and a life that was not handed to me, but in which I had to earn everything, it is that shit happens. Nothing goes as you expected—some may be better and some worse. IF you get your shit together and find your zen, you will overcome. But not by yourself.

• I have always said that business, regardless of technology, is best served by how people work together--relationships. We were positively delighted about how helpful and kind the Japanese people were. Without asking for anything in return.

Look at the results, not your expectations. If better, learn to accept your good fortune. IF worse, and you fall down, get up again. Someone once said that the important thing about falling seven times is what you learn the eighth time when you get back up.

It’s all about you. Like in golf or baseball. It’s just you and the ball. The result is completely dependent on how you approach it.

Same with learning to unplug. It’s on you to understand that breathing out is a necessary companion to breathing in or holding your breath.

Our Kyoto trip was beyond my expectations: I was able to totally unplug and breathe out, plus the unexpected bonus of learning something about what Japan can show us regarding a quality business, quality life and quality existence for our planet.

 Michael Serwetz 2025