The Face of Kyoto

For more than a thousand years, Kyoto was the seat of Japan’s imperial court – and it carries that history lightly. Beyond the famous temples lies a city of narrow lanes, wooden houses and small shops, where daily life keeps its own quiet rhythm.

I photographed Kyoto in 2024. I wasn’t looking for the postcard views, but for the people who give the city its face: A shopkeeper opening her shutters, a gardener raking gravel, a cook behind a counter (serving Suhsi), a monk in a monastery, a man passing by, holding his dog.

In a city shaped by ritual, the most telling moments are often the smallest ones – a bow at a doorway, a pause before a shrine, a meal eaten alone at the end of the day.