This morning, I was a little out of it. It was the first time I received an earthquake alert on my phone, and as someone who has never been through it before I had a moment of dizziness. I sat on my bed and waited… was something supposed to happen? A number of things were going through my head… I was planning to go to Kyoto, was that still going to happen? Should I move the glass that was on my table so it doesn’t fall? Should I go outside? What should I take with me? I opened my window and looked around… no one was doing anything, although there was an old man striding by on his morning walk. So I just sat there for a little while before asking my friend for advice. Luckily he explained everything to me, and I realised that the earthquake was being experienced in another part of the country. I didn’t know how to feel about it… so I just got up and went on with my day.
I got on the train to Kyoto this morning feeling grateful that I could. On the train I saw the rice fields pass by, reflecting the sky perfectly… blue with little puffs of clouds amongst the tiny green sprouts beginning to peek out of the water. As I arrived, I found my way to a little café called Walden Woods. I had no idea why I had written this place down, in fact, I didn’t know why I was going there at all. I had no plan, which would usually send me into a little bit of a panic… but I breathed a sigh of relief when I remembered that this is my first day in Kyoto. I had a little under two months left in which to explore the city as I pleased. Today would be the day that I simply take the place in, serendipitously.
And that is what I prefer. No plan, just random stabs in the dark. Not travelling but wandering, and taking things as they come. It’s why I like to travel for long periods of time, so I have the opportunity to make several attempts at the same place. If today is not great, then I can always come back another time soon. But when I started walking around the streets, I knew that it wasn’t going to be just an ordinary day. I don’t know which district I explored first, but it immediately looked like a city I’d like to come back to. Artistic, simple, clean… if this café was anything to go by.
It stands out a little bit, because it appears as a white box underneath a traditionally Japanese blue tiled roof… ironically with a soft grey camouflage pattern printed on the walls. Inside, there is a big coffee grinder behind a wide work bench displaying a range of sweets and drinks. Upstairs, there is a big space with a white, bare branched tree at the centre. White chipboard benches surround it in a tiered pattern, like an amphitheatre, and distressed steel lanterns lined the top level. Windows let in the light, exposing the complex network of ceiling beams which were also painted white. White and grey, even my coffee was placed on an aluminium tray for me to carry. It’s a work of art in itself, albeit a modern one hidden within a street corner of an ancient city.
As I walked around, I noticed that the whole city has this element of simplicity, although it is expressed in different ways. A daintiness and a plainness, at once it brings a sense of mystery and boredom. The streets of Kyoto don’t have an attitude, they simply say: if you take the time to notice, then you’ll discover beauty wherever you go. If you take the time to stop, peak behind what is seemingly ordinary. It reminds me of walking around Tokyo in the winter. The streets were empty and quiet, until you stepped through a random wooden door, and then suddenly the smoke of a yakitori grill and the buzz of beer-fuelled conversation emanates out. So much liveliness, and there is only one wooden door which separates you from it.
Even in the historical buildings which Kyoto is so famous for, you won’t find any gold shining so bright that it blinds you. Just wood, stone, paper, rope, and maybe the dull gleam of bells high up in the cornices. Elegance, never overdone. Although I don’t like to go where a lot of tourists go, I definitely wanted the experience of walking through the old streets and admiring the architecture. And I did so slowly. Taking note of the details and taking care to let it all sink in. Sometimes time forces you to look at something quickly, snap a photo, and then leave… but luckily I have time. And it is time that I’m going to use to the fullest. After all, some in the country are dealing with other problems at the moment. But here I stand in peaceful Kyoto, I’m not going to take that peace for granted.
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