In 2009, Time Out published a coffee-table guide to the world’s 75 greatest cities. I wrote the Kyoto chapter.
“While most cities face the conflict of old versus new, Kyoto has proven adept at synthesizing the two. Wooden townhouses that long ago ceased to be practical as living quarters are finding new lives as restaurants, art galleries, coffee shops and hair salons. A one-time kimono warehouse has become a stylish cocktail bar, and a former backstreet bathhouse is now a café furnished with plush sofas and bath-tile walls.
The kimono, a garment as impractical as it is beautiful, is still an everyday sight in Kyoto, but these days it might be emblazoned with a Marimekko-style print and paired with split-toe sneakers.”
World’s Greatest Cities
In 2009, Time Out published a coffee-table guide to the world’s 75 greatest cities. I wrote the Kyoto chapter.
“While most cities face the conflict of old versus new, Kyoto has proven adept at synthesizing the two. Wooden townhouses that long ago ceased to be practical as living quarters are finding new lives as restaurants, art galleries, coffee shops and hair salons. A one-time kimono warehouse has become a stylish cocktail bar, and a former backstreet bathhouse is now a café furnished with plush sofas and bath-tile walls.
The kimono, a garment as impractical as it is beautiful, is still an everyday sight in Kyoto, but these days it might be emblazoned with a Marimekko-style print and paired with split-toe sneakers.”