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  "description": "Kyoto can be a perplexing place, with its own atmosphere.",
  "path": "/on-kyoto/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-02-26T21:03:15.000Z",
  "site": "https://mnchrm.co",
  "tags": [
    "_membership_",
    "** _Retro_**",
    "Buy me a coffee"
  ],
  "textContent": "Share\n\n* * *\n\nWe’re fast approaching the one year anniversary of when I moved to Tokyo. Somehow, it still doesn’t really feel real. I feel like I’ve experienced so much, had so much fun, that it’s all gone by in the blink of an eye, which I guess is the best thing I could hope to say about the move in hindsight. And yet there’s still so much to do, so much to see.\n\nUp until now, I really haven’t ventured that far out of Tokyo. I’d gone to some of the neighboring cities, Kamakura, Enoshima, Yokohama, Okutama, etc., but hadn’t visited any of the major highlights most people who make trips here do. After all, Tokyo itself is so big, perpetually shifting, it’s an island in the sea. I think you could spend a whole life here and never get your fill. But I still want to see the rest of the country, and hopefully a good bit of the neighboring countries as well.\n\nWhen a friend was coming from America to visit, it felt like a perfect opportunity to see a bit more of Japan for ourselves, as well. We planned a trip, one week long, splitting time between Kyoto and Sapporo. I’ve long wanted to visit Hokkaido, though I was planning on the Summer, rather than the snowy Winter, though that was a sight to behold in its own way. But let’s talk about Kyoto.\n\nI’ve been fascinated by Kyoto since before I ever set foot in Japan. I think most American’s, probably most Westerner’s view of Tokyo is like Shibuya Scramble, and Kyoto is like Gion—of course, that was my view as well. The ancient capital, filled with a mysterious pull and charm; a place that feels full of wonder. Yet there’s plenty of negative views of Kyoto too: choked with tourists, too heavily tilted towards visitors, divisive. Perhaps unsurprisingly, my experience was somewhere in the middle.\n\nHonestly, I was expecting to fall in love with Kyoto. I’m fascinated by Japanese culture, as you might expect, and Kyoto is the beating heart of that culture. I’d heard much about how the city and its allure online, and I follow a few people who live there and post about the best the city has to offer. But I didn’t quite fall in love; at least not at first sight. What I found was a lot deeper and more perplexing than I expected.\n\n* * *\n\n_If you enjoyed this issue, consider joining my_ _membership_ _program, The Order of the Black Lotus. For the price of a cup of coffee in Tokyo ($3/month or $30/year), you not only support my writing and photography, but I’ll send you a**handwritten, one-of-one postcard from me in Tokyo** —a tangible piece of my journey, just for you. You’ll also get access to all **exclusive posts** , and an invitation to **my private photography feed on**_** _Retro_** _._\n\nJOIN THE ORDER OF THE BLACK LOTUS\n\n _Joining is the most meaningful way to ensure this work continues, and I thank you for your support!_\n\n* * *\n\nFor one, it should be said that Kyoto feels very different from Tokyo, and not on a superficial level. I had the same realization about Seoul, perhaps I should’ve expected it more, but exactly _how_ the city felt different surprised me, and I’m still not sure how to articulate it. Everyone we encountered was very friendly, the same as how I’m used to interacting with people in Tokyo. But something in the air, the way the city moved felt different to me.\n\nPerhaps it’s connected to the tourism. If you hear one thing about Kyoto, it’s probably about the mass of tourists there. Of course, I was expecting this, yet I thought if anything it might be diminished now, in January not near any major holidays, and in the midst of a row between the governments of Japan and China. I am well aware that I’m saying this as a visitor to Kyoto, and a foreigner in Japan, but yeah, there are a lot of tourists in Kyoto. I heard much more English spoken on the streets of Kyoto than I ever do in Tokyo. Maybe it’s just because Tokyo is so big, you basically never run into someone here, can slip into anonymity on any train or major street. But in Kyoto, I kept seeing some of the same people; it was almost spooky. Given it was my first visit to the city, we’d wanted to do some of the bigger tourist attractions, but still, odd to _recognize_ someone on vacation.\n\nIt’s understandable this leads to some resentment, a separation of the city into the side for tourists and the side for locals. But how that manifested in the city felt odd. Honestly, large parts of the city _lean into_ the tourism, the revenue that visitors bring, which gave certain streets almost like a Japan-themed amusement park feel. Yet next to these shops with English menus out front or English signs advertising MATCHA or KIMONO, you’ll see tucked into the corner of windows next door political signs for the Sanseito, the far-right, anti-immigration party. A lot of times it felt like Kyoto (collectively) wanted it both ways.\n\nThis is no more typified than by perhaps the highlight and lowlight of the trip, a visit to Kai Fusayoshi’s bar. Kai-san is a street photographer who’s spent more than the last 50 years photographing Kyoto. I’d heard about his bar from street photographers I know in Tokyo, and knew I had to go. His bar, open since 1985 (though once lost to fire and now re-opened) is tended by Kai-san himself, and houses all of his books, postcards from the various exhibitions he’s held (photographers in Japan often make postcards for promotional purposes), and almost anything else related to his life’s work.\n\nWhat I wasn’t quite aware of was that it’s become a tourist hot-spot, where people who saw it on TikTok go. I don’t even drink, I had wanted to go purely to see Kai-san, to try not to bother him too much with my questions, which he was so gracious to discuss. We entered into a room full of other white faces, and I soon found out I was the only person there besides Kai-san himself who could speak Japanese. In general, that’s fine, but you’ve got to make an effort, and no one in the room seemed interested in doing so. Many didn’t even order a drink—it’s a bar, for fuck’s sake. They just came to sit for five minutes, get their photo, and leave. Occasionally, Kai-san would ask someone a question, to which they’d respond with a blank expression. It’s 2026, load up Google Translate on your phone if you have to. But basically no one there seemed like they could be bothered.\n\nI was thrilled to be able to meet and speak with Kai-san, and he was so warm and generous with his time, this man with a lifetime of experience answering all my little questions. We left with a handful of postcards which he was willing to sign, now framed, and two of his books. Like I said, it was probably the highlight of the trip for me, but I walked home feeling slightly sad.\n\nYet beyond the facade, the city that exists only on or for TikTok, you can glimpse a city that rings more true. Even to Japanese people from other parts of the country, Kyoto can be a perplexing place, with its own atmosphere, but I felt this acutely as a foreigner there for my first time. I had wished I’d asked to meet up with someone local, to get a view of the city as closer to an insider than from out. You hear stories about local, invite-only restaurants, shops, bars. We certainly weren’t turned away from any establishments, but I could tell we weren’t quite digging deep. Those we spoke to were gracious and kind, and while I didn’t fall in love with the city like I had thought (perhaps even feared) I might, something about it did resonate with me, making me look forward to when I’ll have a chance to visit again. Next time, I’ll have more of a bearing. But there’s the rest of the country and more beyond I’ve got to get to, first.\n\n* * *\n\n## Subscribe to Refrakt\n\nA bi-weekly newsletter on curiosity, creativity, and (hopefully!) insight, through the lens of photography, writing, study, art and beauty, and my life.\n\nSubscribe\n\nEmail sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup.\n\nJoin 150+ members on the path.\n\nBuy me a coffee",
  "title": "On Kyoto",
  "updatedAt": "2026-02-27T00:44:29.345Z"
}