Kyoto in Flux: Rain, Rickshaws, and the Price

Ebisu Shrine of Gion, Kyoto.

Kyoto in the rain possesses a unique, melancholic charm. Clad in a raincoat, a rickshaw puller passes by Ebisu Shrine—a sanctuary dedicated to business prosperity. While the rain chills the air outside, he is drenched in the sweltering heat of his own labor within. Yet, he never falters, maintaining a warm conversation with his passengers and sharing the rich tapestry of local culture with a genuine smile.

In the rain-slicked corridors of old Kyoto, the appearance of rickshaws at a shrine serves as a visual metaphor for a city in flux. While tourism fuels the national economy, 'Kanko Kogai' (Tourism Pollution) increasingly weighs on the hearts of the community. The tension between the state’s grand vision of a tourism-driven nation and the preservation of local normalcy is undeniable. Resolving these cultural frictions—learning to live harmoniously with the global tide while protecting the essence of the everyday—has become a defining psychological and social task for modern Kyoto.