The Voice of the Commuter Trains: A morning spent at Umekōji Park | Kyoto, in Sound • Episode 07

The Voice of the Commuter Trains: A morning spent at Umekōji Park | Kyoto, in Sound • Episode 07

In this episode, I return to Umekōji Park, stepping just outside the walls of Suzaku Garden (from episode one of the podcast) to explore the busier, living side of the park. I’m joined by my friend Charles and his dog Lily, as we sit by the tracks to listen to a sound most people usually try to block out: the local commuter trains. We talk about the rhythmic “clack-clack” of the old community lines and how it contrasts with the clinical, high-tech “whoosh” of the Shinkansen passing right next to them. The conversation leads us to the idea of “third spaces”—from the park itself to the rooftop garden at Kyoto Station—and how people find little gaps in the city's architecture to simply be. Find more about my sound walks over at kyotoinsound.com: http://kyotoinsound.com.

Shaking the dust off: New Year at a Kyoto temple | Kyoto, in Sound • Episode 06

For the first episode of the New Year, I turn the microphone around to share one of my own favourite sounds: the Joya no Kane bell. Recorded at Tanjoji temple in Fushimi-ku, this episode explores the ritual of ringing the temple bell 108 times to banish our worldly desires (bonnō). I also take a winter walk from the stark beauty of Jojakko-ji to the sacred halls of Shoren-in, exploring how the silence of winter prepares us for the resonance of the New Year. A slow, meditative listen for anyone recovering from the busy-ness of the holiday season. Find more about my sound walks at kyotoinsound.com [http://kyotoinsound.com].

Finding calm in the noise of Kyoto | Kyoto, in Sound • Episode 05

A few weeks ago I went to Osawa Pond—the oldest garden pond in Japan—looking for silence and tranquility. Instead, I found a gardener with a wood chipper and a construction crew with wooden mallets. In this episode of Kyoto, in Sound, I explore what happens when the sanctuary you're seeking turns out to be a construction site. It's a sonic letter to a busy friend. Find more about my sound walks at kyotoinsound.com [http://kyotoinsound.com], with behind-the-scenes moments shared over on Substack [https://ohayo.substack.com/].

E04 • Nature's Prayer

On a drizzly October morning at Shinnyo-do temple in North-East Kyoto, I meet Kacchan—a respected Buddha sculptor who has worked with some of the city's most important temples. But today, she's brought me to her local temple, a place she's known since childhood. We arrive on the one day each year when the Amitabha Sutra Association performs the secret Inzei Amida Sutra. As the monks' voices rise and fall in meditation, something remarkable happens: the crows and birds in the temple grounds begin calling out in response, weaving their own prayer into the chanting. Unlike Kiyomizu-dera or Fushimi Inari, Shinnyo-do doesn't appear in guidebooks. It's a local temple—quiet, intimate, and without crowds. A place where you can simply be, and listen. Thank you to Kacchan for sharing her story and guiding me through this beautiful place. Find more about my sound walks at kyotoinsound.com [http://kyotoinsound.com], with behind-the-scenes moments shared over on Substack [https://ohayo.substack.com/].

E03 • 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. In this episode, I speak with Liz, originally from England, who lived in Mexico and California before making Kyoto her home. She tells me about "life-affirming sounds"—the difference between human sound and machine noise, and why the bustle of Kawaramachi reminds her of what she loved most about Mexico City. From the clatter of shop shutters opening in the morning to the traditional fire prevention night-watch echoing through modern streets, Liz shows us how sound shapes our sense of home in unexpected ways. Thank you to Liz for sharing her story and providing a few of her own field recordings of Kawaramachi for this episode. Find more about my sound walks at ⁠kyotoinsound.com⁠ [https://www.kyotoinsound.com/], with behind-the-scenes moments shared over on ⁠Substack⁠ [https://ohayo.substack.com/].