“What’s the best thing about Japan?,” I asked my friend Shuji recently. He and I have been comparing his country with the rest of the globe for all the 38 years I’ve been living around Kyoto. Without a moment’s pause, he said, “The silence.”
His words returned to me not long ago as I walked along mossy boulders through a secret forest of tall camphor trees and camellias north of the city. There was nothing to hear but water trickling down in openings in the rocks. Not a soul to be seen. Even in an overtouristed metropolis—more than 75 million visit the area every year—I was enjoying a rare sense of privacy and space.
Enter your e-mail to read the full story
and to receive our weekly e-mail newsletter
Or, subscribe to AIR MAIL and receive full access today. And for a limited time, you can get 30% off AIR MAIL during our Holiday Flash Sale!
Already a subscriber? Sign in here
AloJapan.com