Guided sound walks

Kyoto, in Sound

A composer-led walk through Kyoto's shrines, temples and gardens

Book a Sound Walk

Most people visit Kyoto to see it. Few slow down enough to hear it.
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Join me on a private sound walk through Kyoto’s neighbourhoods, temples and gardens. These walks are a unique way to experience this city—by shifting from sightseeing to deep listening.

Go Beyond the checklist

Fushimi Inari. Kinkaku-ji. Arashiyama Bamboo Forest. Check, check, check. Then what?

Together, we step past the photo queues into the places that hold this city's true atmosphere. The hidden side of the city, untouched by the rush of the typical tourist circuit. This is Kyoto as few experience it: unhurried, unfiltered, and felt.

The SHIFT

When you put on the headphones, the world changes. Using high-fidelity field recorders, we amplify the textures of the city—from the rhythmic crunch of temple gravel to the silence of a small shrine garden. It's less history lecture and more engaging with our senses.

Your Trip to Kyoto, Preserved

You'll leave with an audio postcard — professionally mixed from recordings you made, and yours to keep. Your photographs from Kyoto may look like everyone else's. This won't. Close your eyes six months from now, and you're back on that temple path, with this city moving around you again.

Listen to a recent walk—a taste of what we may discover together

Guided by a Composer

A headshot of your guide on these sound walks: Simon.

I’m Simon, a sound artist and composer. For years, my life was defined by the relentless pace of London, but eventually, my wife and I left the ‘rat race’ behind for a life of more intention here in Kyoto.

Upon arriving, I realised that most people visit this city to see it, but very few truly hear it. My goal is to help you bypass the ‘tourist noise’ and find the signal. This is an invitation to slow down, tune in, and discover the hidden textures of Kyoto that most travellers walk right past.

Previous Guests

A guest on a recent sound walk recording the sound of a small river at Shimogamo Jinja, a shrine in Kyoto.
Shimogamo Shrine: A Place where water tells the story.
A photograph of a recent sound walk guest who joined a Kyoto, in Sound walk. This photograph is of the sound of a Kyoto Garden being captured with a sound recorder by a young man wearing binaural microphones in his ears.
Deep listening in a quiet zen Japanese garden.
A guest on a Sound Walk recording the peaceful sound of the tranquil Japanese Pond at Shoren-in Temple.
Recording the sound of THE Pond AT SHōREN-IN TEMPLE.
A guest on a sound walk recording the bees gathering pollen in the plum blossom trees in Spring.
Recording the bees in the plum blossom.
A guest recording the sound of the Kamo River. Birds, water flowing and the sound of the city.
The Kamo River: A Soundtrack of Birds, water, and wind.
A photograph of a recent sound walk guest who joined a Kyoto, in Sound walk. The photograph features a young lady recording sound of bamboo swaying in the wind.
Capturing the Sound of bamboo in the wind.

Testimonials

SHIMOGAMO SHRINE
"The recording Simon made of the sounds I had captured is a precious keepsake. Sound is not normally something you take home. Thank you. I hope others will add this to their itinerary when they come to Kyoto. It's another way of traveling, another way of knowing a place."
Elizabeth • United Kingdom
Demachiyanagi Shōtengai
"As someone who doesn't normally seek out guided tours, I can't recommend this highly enough! Simon's a great bloke and the way it's left up to you to decide what sounds interest you results in a simultaneously curated and self-guided experience."
Karu & Adriana • NORWAY
Renge-ji Temple
"Simon is a really great guide: he combines the insight of a resident with all the enthusiasm of an outsider."
Alex E • United Kingdom

Reserve Your Sound Walk

¥15,000 / Person

Two to three hours. All equipment included. A professionally mixed audio postcard delivered to you afterwards.

Check Availability
Walks are kept small — up to four guests — so the experience stays unhurried.
Larger group? Get in touch.
© 2026 Kyoto, in Sound
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