Kyoto, in Sound

The podcast

An exercise in deep listening.

Each episode begins with the same question, put to someone who calls Kyoto home: is there a sound that means something to you? Then I go and record it, and they tell me the story behind it.

So far that's meant commuter trains, a temple bell at midnight, and a busy crossing in downtown Kawaramachi. One sound at a time, the podcast is finding a Kyoto that sits beneath all of that tourist noise. It's the city, as the locals actually hear it.

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The artwork for the Kyoto, in Sound podcast by Simon James French

Recent episodes

Episode 8

A Sound Like Home

I ask my friend Ash what his favourite sound is, and he doesn't really need to think about it. “The sound of Ryoko doing one of her arrangements.” Ryoko is his wife, and she runs flower arranging classes here in Kyoto under the name HanaYou. So we spend a morning together, starting at Rokkaku-dō, the supposed birthplace of ikebana, then to her favourite flower shop, and finally to her studio, where she makes an arrangement while I record as close as I can get: the scissors, the kenzan taking each stem, the quiet in between.

Episode 7

The Voice of the Commuter Trains

I'm joined by Charles and his dog Lily on a park bench in Umekōji Park. Just a short walk from the bustle of Kyoto Station, we sit by the tracks to listen to a sound that most people usually try to block out: the local commuter trains. We talk about the rhythmic "clack-clack" of the community lines and how they contrast with the clinical, high-tech "whoosh" of the Shinkansen passing right next to them. We also talk about the value of "third spaces".

Episode 6

The Midnight Bell

I visited Tanjōji Temple in Fushimi-ku to experience the Joya no Kane, the ringing of the temple bell on New Year's Eve. Instead of interviewing a guest, I turned the microphone around to share one of my own favourite sounds. In this episode, I explore the silence of winter in Kyoto, and how the bell's 108 strikes help us banish our worldly desires for a fresh start.

Episode 5

Osawa Pond

I visited Osawa Pond, the oldest garden pond in Japan, in search of silence. Instead, I found a wood chipper and a construction crew. In this episode, I explore the accidental "Industrial Zen" of a noisy Monday morning in Kyoto, and how a wall of sound can sometimes become its own kind of music.

Episode 4

Nature's Prayer

At Shinnyodō Temple in north-east Kyoto, I meet Kacchan, a Buddha sculptor who has carried out work on the statues in Kyoto's grandest temples. We arrive at her local temple on a day when the monks were chanting their secret Inzei Amida Sutra. The crows and the birds in the temple seemed to join in momentarily and it reminded me of one of Mary Oliver's poems which I share in the episode.

Episode 3

Life-Affirming Sounds

In downtown Kawaramachi, surrounded by high-rise buildings and constant traffic, most people seek escape from the noise. But Liz chose to live here deliberately. I speak with Liz, originally from England, who lived in Mexico and California before making Kyoto her home. She shares what she calls "life-affirming sounds" and why the bustle of Kawaramachi reminds her of what she loved most about Mexico City.

Episode 2

The Sounds of Autumn

Beginning in the busy area of Kiyamachi, the Takase River flows quietly through central Kyoto. I walk here with Chie, a freelance illustrator, who shares why the sounds of autumn are her favourite. She reflects on stillness and movement and how a shift in sound marks the changing of the seasons here.

Episode 1

Suzaku Garden

It's only a short walk from Kyoto Station, but Suzaku Garden feels like a world away from the bustle of the city's busiest train station. In the first episode of Kyoto, in Sound, I spoke with Rumi, who grew up in Tokyo and now lives in Kyoto. She takes me back to her childhood summers spent in this beautiful garden with her grandmother.

Looking for more?

Unedited recordings, production notes, and letters about listening to Kyoto.

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