Pico Iyer :: 'Alone in Kyoto'

Reading the Financial Times without a subscription can be painful. I keep getting truncated articles. It ran an essay penned by Pico Iyer on February 6, 2022, titled 'Alone in Kyoto: Pico Iyer on a winter without tourists'.  

I read that when it was first published, and am re-reading again now. To be honest, I've enjoyed Singapore's quieter streets and such without hordes of loud-mouthed tourists. Unfortunately our economy needs tourists, so at least for us, those quiet days are ending soon. 

Japan has kept its borders sealed since April 2020. Visa holders and long-term residents or students on a valid study pass couldn't get back into the cities for the longest time, till March or so this year. Even now, the cautious opening up to foreigners and tourists is staggered and slow. Sure, masks to be kept on, insurance coverage have to be purchased and all that are very reasonable requests for tourists to fulfill. There would be the recalcitrant few idiots though. I just can't get over the 'tour guides' bit and being part of a nightmare package tour in which I'm held hostage if there're assholes, inconsiderate people and perpetual latecomers. 

The author and his wife, like many others, have taken to domestic tourism, and enjoying their country of residence without the extra noise from the hordes of tourists. Through the author, we see a slice of Kyoto during the lockdown. And one could probably take some magical shots in the bamboo grove of Arashiyama without random humans in the background. 

And as the nearly 32mn international visitors of 2019 have dwindled to virtually none — Japan has kept its borders very firmly sealed for almost two years now — suddenly the old sights become new again and fresh. A city I associate with reserve and contemplation feels as if it’s been released from a torrent of social obligations and allowed to be private and itself once more.

My wife (a life-long Kyoto-ite) and I have therefore been roaming around as never before to enjoy the unaccustomed quiet. We went to the temple called Eikan-do to sip thick green tea under red umbrellas as the late-blazing maple-leaves carpeted the walkways. A country bus took us around winding turns, deep into a carless quiet, to the little farming village of Ohara, 30 minutes to the north. As the sun set above the rusting leaves and azaleas, the Pure Pleasure Garden of the Sanzen-in temple affected me as never before, if only because I seem to be getting older while it never does.

The author indeed has a way with words. With a few paragraphs and simple language, he evoked the quietness of the place, and in this case, describing the beauty and the "radiant quiet" of Chishaku-in, "an often neglected temple along the eastern hills". For countries with four seasons, the landscape and vibes feel soooo different each season. 

The government completely and likely intentionally ignored the popular hanami season for tourists. They really didn't care about the tourist dollar. Well, I guess the government didn't want their medical infrastructure and hospitals overloaded. I wish that Japan would open up to casual travelers and anyone not on a nightmare package tour. It's near enough for me to do short trips without worrying too much about the dog. I'll just have to wait.