Thoughts in the Rain

April 9th 2017

Kyoto

The 'capital of the west' and probably one of the most historical and prestigious places in Japan. The houses are getting flatter, subways rarer and the kimonos more ubiquitous.
You can see tatami on the floor of small shops and cafes now and then — and even one or the other geisha has been spotted - but more on that later.

Meanwhile, we have swapped our modern, western-style apartment for a traditional machiya - including a tiny inner garden, sliding paper doors and sleeping on the floor. Pretty cool, to be honest. Matching the move, we are joined by pouring rain that forces us to reassess our plans and leaves me, lacking an umbrella, quite well soaked.

Late morning in a temple in northern Kyoto — a procession of singing Japanese has just passed us, now an elderly man approaches and asks us first in French, then in English, where we come from. And to our amazement, he answers without missing a beat: "Ah, Deutschland, ich war mal in Deutschland. In Berlin — die... die Mauer. Und München. Und in Wuppertal." In absolutely accent-free German. "Und waren Sie auch mal in Frankfurt?" — "Ah, ja, Frankfurt, sehr gut, sehr gut. Auf Wiedersehen! Have a good trip."

We interrupt our scheduled content for a Public Service Announcement:

If you are photographing Asians (especially children) that are not your own, make sure that you are a) discreet or b) have explicit permission of the Asian in question.
Specifically avoid forming a circle of creepy old western people around frightened Japanese children in Kimonos. This isn't a goddamn zoo. Thank you for your cooperation!