For a little while now, I’ve offered experimental walking tours in Tokyo, and I’ve decided to start doing more of this sort of work, some of it in a different format. There are a lot of things I want to try, and instead of hoping bookings pop up and clients are on board to experiment, I’m going to start a regular series of events and anyone interested can join in. Maximum group size will be larger than my usual tours, and pricing will be lower so that these events are more accessible.
Deliberate Experience in the City: An Introduction to Applied Psychogeography and Mindful Observation
This will be a 3 hour workshop introducing people to concepts and practices that enhance our understanding and experience of the urban environment. Grounded in concepts drawn from psychogeography, mindfulness, and field ethnography, participants will be guided through a series of exercises and experiments. The goal is to open the door to new possibilities of experience, and to equip participants with tools they can use and build on in their own continued explorations, wherever they happen to go.
This is open to anyone interested in what’s being presented. If you’re visiting Tokyo, it might be a good opportunity to learn some new ideas while exploring a new place. If you’re a resident, you might come away from the experience with ideas that will help you see familiar places in new ways.
The First Events: Saturday, October 25 and Sunday, October 26
The first two events in this series will be as follows:
- Saturday, October 25 in Shinjuku, from 9:00 to 12:00
- Sunday, October 25 in Akabane, from 12:00-15:00
Though locations will eventually repeat, initially I’m going to put these on all over the Tokyo area. This is both for the sake of variety and because some places may work better for this than others, and I won’t know until I try. Besides, have you seen how vast Tokyo is? Why limit it?
Both events will be limited to 12 people, as I need to get a feel for how these events will work before I open things up to larger groups. Children are welcome, and anyone under the age of 10 can come for free, but please let me know ahead of time if you’ll be bringing your kids.
Fee: ¥2,500 per person (includes workshop materials)
Events will happen rain or shine, so if it’s likely to rain, please come prepared for that.
Cancellation policy: if you can’t come to the event you booked, get in touch and you can either come to a different event on a different day, or I can offer a partial refund.
For a comprehensive list of all future events, please see the events page.
Update: the workshop series now has its own page. View it here.
