The Kyoto You Don't See in Media

Guys I had more footage of dead fish but I'm sorry it was hard to fit into the visual narrative please forgive me XXX
There will be more to come about Kyoto, and perhaps miscellaneous content about life in Japan in general. Thanks to all who have subscribed and waited patiently for new content, it takes quite a while to put these together outside of work and I'm still getting the hang of my process. Cheers!
Twitter: / yozora_blues
Stock media provided by Wikimedia Commons and Pexels.com

[@otakubullfrog1665]

It is amazing how quickly a building starts to look run down if nobody's using it, almost as if the building itself somehow knows. The town I grew up in has a restaurant that closed two or three years ago and the property has yet to be sold and someone would easily believe it's been sitting there several decades.

[@unduloid]

I'm a weeb, and I loved seeing the more run-down parts of cities like Kyoto _because_ they are shown a lot in anime.

[@sdlroy3]

Tokyo has some very similar sightings in some neighbourhoods. It’s one of my favourite things to discover when I’m in Japan. I love taking photographs of wacky and/or derelict buildings that are off the beaten path.

[@syntheticwisdom1]

I really love showing the "character" of a place, beyond just the picture perfect. Great video!

[@MikuNoDorei]

Ahh Demachiyanagi has a sweet spot in my heart, I even like the slowly passing away vibe of the city... I wish for an eternal city but I guess that is just not possible. Still love all of it.

[@AdamSmith-gs2dv]

Also I agree that seeing how normal people live in just as memorable as seeing the tourist stuff. Some of my most vivid memories of my trip to China were all the markets we went to

[@theale8821]

Haha, I live in Kamogyouku and pass by that rubbish pile in front of that shop every day. It’s crazy that you made this video 7 months ago, nobody’s cleaned it up. I think there’s plants growing out of it now. On another note, I really enjoy all the weirdly specific small business, usually with one or two employees, there’s just so much character to it (Though it can get depressing when nobody’s visiting them). Awesome to see another Westerner’s perspective on living in Kyoto! I never thought I’d find a channel like this so specific to where I live. Keep making stuff like this!

[@NNONAO]

I've been to Japan many times and while Kyoto's sights are absolutely amazing the rest of the city always felt a little empty. If you're just randomly walking around you'll often find yourself in a large street of nondescript buildings. I feel like this never happened to me in Tokyo.

[@thomrade]

I felt similarly in Bangkok. I enjoyed the temples and the ultramodern central district design but I really loved the smaller, backstreet urban environments, and the quiet forgotten bits

[@ScuzzySera]

Perfect video, I've only visited Japan in short bursts, but I do love the "suburbs" of Japan, especially around Kanagawa.

[@jaythompson5102]

I was in Kyoto for about a week in 2013. It has a weird small town vibe to it despite its ancient history and current population. Honestly I loved it though. Not sure if you mentioned it but there is incredible natural beauty and stuff to do in the city. I went hiking nearly every day when I was there and had such a great time.

[@perlen5227]

Honestly, it's these kinds of buildings and places why I really want to go to Japan, among some other things.

[@eggy3231]

I recently came back from a foreign exchange in Japan (Kobe, specifically) and this video really captures the kind of stuff that I really miss about there. The dorm I lived in was located off-campus in a residential area with mostly apartments, and I was part of a choir at school, which had me going to many different community centers around Kobe/Nishinomiya/Osaka for rehearsals. I liked the look, density and variety in the neighborhoods there, and I think I feel even more fondness towards those areas than I do for any of the bigger, flashier places. I'd love to go back but I have no idea how I'd do it.

[@EbbHere]

having recently moved to Kyoto for the purposes of academia, watching your videos has put a lot of my confusion/ grievances with life over here into words. its nice to see that I'm not the only one who feels this way about the place, even though all things considered I'd call Kyoto a pretty bloody good spot to live in

[@ismaelattrache4117]

Peeking behind the curtain is the best. I love this. Thank you

[@avensCL]

11:00 really sums up your point. The media (and vacationers) only shows the shiny bits of Japan. But you turn the other way around and it's just a regular place. And kinda derelict actually

[@xalt255x]

I have more than 1000 (one thousand) yt subscriptions and now your channel is my favorite one

[@novelezra]

One of my favorite Japanese manga artists is Panpanya; who's work is absolutely filled with themes and stories inspired by these backstreets that seem to be filled with houses that organically grow and expand until you see nothing but snaking rows of conglomerate fibreglass roofs and haphazard window placement. In fact one of their short stories is entirely about how a house seems to evolve and expand. I recommend anyone read their work if they enjoy something that feels like a lighthearted Japanese Eraserhead

[@outlinednl]

It's always a treat to watch one of your new videos.

[@yozora_blues]

Delighted to hear it, thank you!

[@jangelbrich7056]

Not sure if the Japanese term is outdated after 30 years but when I was there first time they called this eclectic mixture of every imaginable architecture "gocha-gocha". And it was everywhere already then. Thanks for the video. I only had an old analog photocamera back then.

[@marcinp3789]

I was living in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture few years ago and I went to a cinema to see "Homo Sapiens", a documentary by an Austrian film maker showing derelict spaces all over the world. One section was about Fukushima few years after the tsunami. The static shots showed empty steets and parking lots, wind blowing through backyards of abandoned houses. And then I turned to my wife and said that I didn´t need an Austrian film maker to show me these pictures. I see exactly the same pictures every day wherever I go in any Japanese town. As soon as you leave the city center, turn into side streets, it´s just like this. People in Japan devote most of their time for work and have no time to think about their environment, to take care of their back yards or gardens, they hardly leave their country to get new ideas about how to make their environment more livable, they accept whatever city officials decide including cuting trees and puting concrete everywhere. The construction companies brainwashed them to destroy and rebuild their houses every 25 years, they sell them dreams of modern homes which turn out to be cold plastic boxes with random windows. Yes indeed, if you look at Japan objectively, except for the nature in the countryside there is not much beauty to find there.

[@mr.selfdestruct]

" destroy and rebuild their houses every 25 years, " You forgot to add all the while taking out 35 year loans. That is the normal length of a home loan in Japan... on a house that lasts 25 years. So everyone... is ALWAYS in dept and owns nothing, and then passes the dept to their family, who builds another home, and another and another and another, never ever actaully owning it, and then retires at 75 for their kids to care of them who just built another home with a tiny room in the back just for you to sit and watch TV all alone for another 25 years until you die... and FINAALY they can build another home that their kids will finish paying for... but never actually own beucaes it will be torn down as well before anyone comes close to paying for it.

[@jama211]

Whilst there are some valid criticisms in here, saying outside the nature there is "not much beauty to find there" is unnecessarily harsh. I actually loved finding the gems of beauty even in the ordinary or run down parts of their grey suburbia. A tiny shrine here, an mini park or artistic expression there. Not to mention that, all that time they spend at work and not at home will often mean they create wonderful things away from their living spaces. There is always beauty to be found, you just have to have the right attitude and the ability to see it.

[@ffffennek]

I hope you gonna come up with more ideas for dead fish footage soon. Can't wait!

[@fotografritz_]

The area you show at 4:58 could be a 同和地区, a former Buraku area. There are many of them in Kyoto and Osaka, often nearby train lines since it was easier to displace the minorities living there to build the tracks. It is rundown, sure, but often people living there have no other choice but to live there, since the discrimination against them is quite strong in Kansai.

[@lutello3012]

7:59 Been meaning to look for that episode of Inspector Gadget where he goes to Japan.

[@akumatsutranslations]

I think if anyone DOESN'T go to a place like this expecting it to be run down to an extent then that's a them problem. It's sad to an extent, but a lot of the run-down or cheapo apartments just remind me of my home city. It's comforting to see something that looks realistic like that.

[@VanadiumBromide]

Soul.

[@calicovision]

I subscribed to you a few videos ago and I absolutely love hearing your perspective on life in Japan as it really is. You've got a real knack for writing and content creation. Keep it up!

[@yozora_blues]

Thank you, comments like that motivate me!

[@alocino96]

man i m really loving this, great exposition and very interesting topics

[@user-ri5fi4wq9u]

I was waiting for a video about real Kyoto for a long time, and from watching your videos so far - I saw it coming :)) Love it

[@apiek6703]

10:16 "it's f*cked up and I don't get it." This made my day sir, thanks. Loved your video, I'm tuned in :)

[@hellstarremina3693]

I understand that it's not what everyone expects out of seeing kyoto, but you keep describing these buildings as ugly, to me they're really interesting - how they're patch worked together. Cool video.

[@rosetoren3881]

Thanks for the video. I like your narrating style and you have a nice voice. Hope to see more. 👍

[@msergei98]

8:11 that's my car in the video. The great advantage is that in can launch with astonishingly low temperature outside, down to -50 °C

[@rapchee]

huh a good youtube recommendation

[@ssserani]

this is the best channel i've stumbled upon in a long time

[@yozora_blues]

Thank you Nathan! New video almost done

[@FalqonOne]

make a part 2 :) love seeing this

[@droneofthefurture]

Found your channel recently and I love your use of shots to paint little vignettes of how you experience the city through your own eyes. As I watch through some of these videos, I can't help but notice the similarity to "How to with John Wilson." Is that show an inspiration for your style?

[@4kmoviesandtrailers67]

Your content is awesome

[@osushi_no_jikan]

This is such an interesting and well-made video. So glad I found you! A joy to watch and to listen 😊

[@BenWillock]

Ngl that blueberry cream cheese sandwich sounds really good.

[@benibachmann9274]

Thanks for the video. Talking about Battleship: I watched the movie in Fukuoka when it came out in 2012 (English version). I don't recall any details from the plot but I remember walking out of the movie thinking that some scenes must be missing, and wondering if it had been censored for the Japanese market. Is that a thing in Japan? Maybe I was just imagining things.

[@NightpireVideos]

Highly interesting perspective.

[@bokwoon]

comfy vid

[@TimChuma]

Land is at a premium in Japan. Still better than Australian cities where it can take 2hrs just to get into work. The city is 100km wide now where I live. All the places that used to grow food closer to the city had to move.

[@Hahahahaaahaahaa]

Oh hey behind the media, it's every big city ever!

[@truthalonetriumphs6572]

Exactly what I needed ... some reality.

[@oscaraiken5484]

The theme park in Wakayama is more commonly known as Marina city and its quite old now

[@TheBluesons]

I was there almost 6 years ago and honestly, in a bit of a morbid way maybe, I found these parts of Kyoto the most fascinating. It really does bring a completely different perspective on how Japan works outside of this glorified view of the country.

[@TimChuma]

Reminds me of Strictly Dumpling going to the sketchiest vending machines known to man.

[@RicardoFiorani]

3:32 Dong hahaha

[@94Aequitas]

First frame is that near Ginkaku-ji? I am sure I've been there. It is off to the right as you wonder aimlessly to find a bus stop/taxi rank not full of tourists.

[@busti4552]

This kind of shit is exactly the reason why I wanna travel to Japan once lol

[@stutterweeb]

I agree Im currently in Kyoto and was disappointed it feels like a big tourist trap with shrines and temples and I seem to go off out the beaten path aswell

[@mantradorniert6877]

Im not surprised about Kyoto being a normal city but Im more of surprise that type of vuilding the one shown to have laundry on front was allowed since in my country that look like an illegal building and I thought as a 1st world and a country with quite the a OK service we wouldn't see much of trash layin around unattended like the box you showed us.

[@uriels4097]

You got a similar voice as Tokyo Llama

[@CM-qd3hh]

Sooo.. like... Japan is like... a normal country? Who would have thought? But seriously, thank You for the video. I enjoyed it and I think it's important to demystify countries, places and stuff in general sometimes.

[@oranje2974]

@6:52 looks kinda Spanish style, not an expert tho

[@SanTM]

This is like if Chris Broad was even more cynical

[@AdamSmith-gs2dv]

In the US something that would be similar to this is Philadelphia, it's constantly talked up as historic but in reality it's a crime ridden dump

[@scotty2tone]

Compared to Philly, even the worst parts of Kyoto look like paradise

[@frankdonatelli343]

Philly is beautiful! We have some rough parts and economic issues but I love my city. I always see people shitting on my city but nobody talks about how fairmount park is the largest urban park in America or how we have the most public murals in the world. We have the oldest theater in the US, the old botanical society, tons of beautiful universities, and the delaware and schuykill rivers have been cleaned up so much since I was a kid. We have the best Ethiopian food in the US, incredible local food culture, and a public transit system better than most in the US. I know that last one isn't saying much but we're fucking proud of SEPTA. We have the best sports mascots in the world, thriving downtown scene, and more important than anything else the people in my neighborhood would give you the shirt of their back if you were in need. That being said northeast philly is a wasteland.

[@hornal1998]

This is what happens when you have a population in decline fostered by a hatred of childbirths. You end up having fewer people to work and spend in an economy.