An ancient city in transition

Transcript

Last week I took a long walk down Teramachi Street, a shopping district in Kyoto that's more like a mall than a street. I strolled all the way from Nijo to Takatsuji Street. I hadn't seen some parts of the street for at least five years, maybe ten.

Some things haven't changed very much. There are about half a dozen Buddhist temples along the east side of the street. They've been there for hundreds of years. All of them were open, and some had quite a few visitors. Many traditional old shops were still there, too. Between Sanjo and Shijo there were a lot of shoppers and young people wandering around in small groups. It was the same 10, 20, 30 years ago.

But I was most impressed by how much has changed. Many years ago I used to visit seven or eight coffee shops and small restaurants. All of them are gone. Most of the electrical appliance and computer shops are gone, too. In their places I saw a shop for pornography and game videos, a supermarket, and an apartment building. One large computer store was in the process of closing.

I don't know if these changes are typical of Kyoto, but it wouldn't surprise me. Kyoto is a well-preserved ancient city, and it's cultural heritage remains stable. But it's also a dynamic city that sometimes changes dramatically. Teramachi Street looks desolate these days, but I think it will bounce back. It may not be the kind of place that I like, but I'm sure we'll see new combinations of ancient and contemporary culture packed into an interesting place to take an afternoon walk.