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Nice 2 sided benches

Every city should have this

And it’s lovely at night. Soft lighting, adjacent homes and shops and a bit of greenery (that feels rare at this scale)

Trying to imagine how to re-create this in Vancouver

West orientation, on a hill overlooking the city. Great spot for catching evening light (for the last 1200 years or so) and a boat load of tourists (more recently) Something to be said for UNESCO sites. Prayer bell reverberated at many levels.

Didn’t previously realize the connection between Pikachu and the sacred lightning symbol

Another nice stroll on a 30c day… the philosophers walk

The Face House A nice bit of weirdness to balance the Serene/subdued/historical city.

Apparently it was very much disliked because it didn’t fit the local “character” but now it draws many visitors

We’re on rented e-bikes today. It’s a bit more challenging to navigate with more bike-prohibited zones, requirements to park in designated areas and no Google Maps support for bikes. Still a nice little experience but highlights how I depend on Google

Shade magnet Aka Shadows are good sometimes

Back here again. Can’t get enough of this little greenway.

Kyoto Beer Lab ftw

Some types of cooking need gas

Kyoto tofu

Vertical cedar slats. Our work has always been influenced by this flavor of Japanese design. So much clear cedar, but no knots to be seen.

Here I am at another UNESCO site just thinking about gutters and downspouts

Not a lot of permeable area here so I was curious to see how the storm water was managed. Some houses discharge to the street. I assume the storm water flows to the river.

The bamboo grove was actually very nice despite the crowd. After a year in Bali I thought bamboo would be passé but this is curated bamboo - akin to the bonsai of bamboo groves.

Car hoods you can actually see over. Not quite the same wannabe-alpha-bro beast machine vibes you get with North American trucks and suvs.

There is a hierarchy of small streets and alleys, but they all seem to have ~2:1 building height to right of way width ratio.

Sharrows on arterials suck in every country

At least in Japan the drivers are that much more trustworthy

Stepping stones, crossing the forked joining of two rivers