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.

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.

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, with behind-the-scenes moments shared over on Substack.