Rə:eN, Yokohama

Ren Yajima

Restore, and return. A private salon on the sixth floor, where the light changes through the day.

Language: Email in EnglishWrite to the salon in English.
English is difficult at the salon. Bring a translation app.Use what Japanese you can, too.
Salon website in Japanese only
The work: Works through the cranium, hands and feet, pelvis, breathing, neck, shoulders and lower back, checking how the body connects.
Background: Left this work for a time, then came back and learned from Koto.
Getting there: About 4 minutes’ walk from the west exit of Tsunashima Station on the Tokyu Toyoko Line.
Hours: Open 10:00–22:30, last entry 21:00. Irregular days off.
Fees: Listed on the salon website, in Japanese ↗
Good to talk about: Art, film and music. Dalí, Bruce Lee and Nirvana in particular.
A first session: About 60 minutes, ¥8,000. Cash, credit cards, transit IC cards or QR payment.
Booking: By email only, directly with the salon
Find the salon: Instagram ↗Google Maps ↗Website, in Japanese ↗

Seitai is where he came home to.

Ren grew up in Tachikawa, Tokyo, in a house full of art. Both parents went to art school, and his mother fired cloisonné in a small kiln at home. As a boy he cried easily, over a scraped knee or a lost water bottle.

Dalí, Bruce Lee and Kurt Cobain each left a mark on him, and art, film and music still sit underneath his work. He takes Bruce Lee’s “Don’t think. Feel.” as a guide.

He left this work and took another path before coming back. His salon is the only room on its floor, six stories up. On sunny days soft light comes in. On rainy days and in the evening, quiet shadow fills the room, and the paintings change with the hour.

A white treatment bed and flowers in a bright room — The salon.

“Seitai is like a home town. I left, took the long way round, and still came back.”

On seitai

“You don’t have to push. You don’t have to hurry.”

On the body

“People tell me they end up saying everything here. That means their body has loosened, and they’re returning to themselves.”

On his clients

Why Tadahiro Koto recommends Ren

One of those practitioners you want to trust with your body for years.

He stays close to his clients. He listens carefully to each person, and his warmth comes through.

He left this work and walked another path. When he first came to see me, I could sense his doubt and fear about returning. Over time his true qualities came out, and now his community trusts both his character and his technique. He is the kind of person who would cry with you when he hears what you’ve been through.

Those glasses? I chose them with him. There’s a theory I forced him to buy them.

Who is Tadahiro Koto?

Getting to the salon.

Laporte Tsunashima 601, 2-6-18 Tsunashima-nishi, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 223-0053

For taxis and map apps

〒223-0053 神奈川県横浜市港北区綱島西2-6-18 ラポルト綱島601

Open in Google Maps ↗

Ren Yajima standing in the salon — Ren at the salon.

Book by email, directly with the salon.

Please email rather than phone. It gives everyone time to get the details right.

Email the salon with the details listed here.
Ren checks the dates.
The salon replies to you.

Your email can be in English. Your session may not be. English is difficult at this salon, so please bring a translation app and use what Japanese you can.

See all six sensei

What to put in your email

Your nameThe name you would like to be called.
Living in Japan, or visitingIf you are visiting, say where you are coming from.
Where you will beYour neighborhood, hotel area or nearest station.
Dates and timesGive up to three options, so there is room to find an opening.
What you would like help withA sentence or two is plenty.
Anything they should know firstFor example, a recent injury, surgery or pregnancy.
Your languageSay how much Japanese you speak, and whether you can use a translation app at the salon.

Start your email

Send it to yajima@reen.style

See an example

Subject: Seitai session request / 施術のご相談

Dear Kawada-sensei,

I found you on Solechika and would like to ask about a seitai session.

Name / お名前: Sam Lee
Living in Japan, or visiting / 在住・旅行: Visiting from Canada
Where I will be / 滞在場所: Near Shinjuku Station, Tokyo
Dates and times, up to three options / 希望日時（3つまで）: 12 March after 14:00, 13 March morning, 14 March any time
What I would like help with / ご相談内容: Stiff shoulders and a sore lower back
Anything you should know first / 事前に伝えたいこと: Nothing in particular
My language / 言語（日本語の程度、翻訳アプリの有無）: English only. I can use a translation app.

Your email goes straight to the salon, and the salon replies to you. Short, simple sentences help, because replies may be written with a translation tool. Please email rather than phone.