The journal
Field notes on a life lived in Kyoto.
I document the city through essays, audio postcards, and seasonal recordings, exploring how sound shapes our memory of a place.
How to listen to the world
What is a Sound Walk?
Most people visit Kyoto to see it. Very few actually hear it. This is an introduction to sound walking: what it is, what the equipment does, and why a few hours of paying attention can change the way you experience a city.
Read the piece→How to escape the crowds and find stillness
The Quiet Guide to Kyoto
The crowds are real. But the quiet is real too. You just have to know where to look, and when. A practical guide to finding stillness in Kyoto without leaving the city.
Read the piece→Try listening to it
Looking for Something Unique in Kyoto?
Fushimi Inari. Kinkaku-ji. Arashiyama. The list writes itself. If you're looking for something that isn't on everyone else's itinerary, try listening to the city instead.
Read the piece→An audio guide to the seasons
The Sounds of Kyoto
Kyoto sounds different in every season. The cicadas in August, the dry rustle of maple leaves in November, the temple bells on New Year's Eve. A guide to what to listen for, and when.
Read the piece→Why you will never see "enough"
The Kyoto FOMO Trap
Everyone asks how many days is enough. The honest answer is: no amount of days is. This is about why that's actually fine, and why doing one thing slowly is worth more than ten things quickly.
Read the piece→A video letter
An Archive of a Life
Why do we bother to record anything at all? We're so busy documenting our lives for other people that we forget to record the ordinary things. And the ordinary things are always the first to go, aren't they?
Watch the letter→A living map of creative corners and kind humans
The Kyoto List
The coffee shops, record stores, galleries, and people I keep going back to. An evolving list of the places that make Kyoto feel like somewhere worth living, not just visiting.
Read the piece→Letters from the studio
The pieces here are finished. Substack is where they begin: video letters, rough recordings, and notes from the studio.