My number one recommendation for a Kyoto book: Ken Ariga's "Kyoto"

■My number one recommendation for a Kyoto book: Ken Ariga's "Kyoto"

I've read all sorts of books about Kyoto, from history and culture to the Kyoto School of Studies, long-established businesses, and people who love or hate Kyoto, but this is the Kyoto book I would recommend as number one.

A senior alumnus of the Faculty of Economics at Kyoto University re-examines Kyoto's industry, culture, society, and infrastructure from the perspective of its modern development, based on applied economics.

This is a dense and insightful book.

There are stereotypes in books about Kyoto.

A town that is both old and new, represented by Nishijin weaving and companies like Nintendo and Kyocera.

The coexistence of conservatism and innovation. The contrast between closed-off, conservative societies and radical student movements/punk.

And then there's the sense of chosenness among the people of Kyoto and the disconnect from those outside the city.

This book will unravel its secrets. So that's how it is.

The conclusion, as stated in the final chapter, is that "Kyoto failed to achieve what Tokyo and Osaka did" because "the city and society of Kyoto could not completely break away from the cities and societies of the early modern period."

low mobility .

First, there's the outdated and closed-off nature of the heart of Kyoto.

The "rice field" district in central Kyoto is home to traditional industries such as Nishijin weaving.

The "townspeople," who are small and medium-sized self-employed individuals involved in handicrafts such as silk weaving, are the ones who hold society together.

This shows that while the culture is preserved, the economy is stagnant and hollowed out.

The area known as "田の字," or the district that supports the Gion Festival, is called the "former school district" of the Bancho Elementary School, which was established after the Meiji era.

The exclusive system of self-governance among the townspeople is depicted.

I live in the former school district of "Honnō Elementary School," where the burnt-down Honnō-ji Temple once stood.

I participated in the Gion Festival's "Kamakiri-yama" float procession as a former member of the Honno school district.

Until the Meiji era, Kami-Kyo, Naka-Kyo, and Shimo-Kyo wards were part of the city. Sakyo, Ukyo, Higashiyama, Kita, and Fushimi were outside the city, and low-income residents migrated to these areas.

Population trends since the modern era and the perception of regional divisions have also been analyzed.

The author's impression of the Shirakawa area around 1970 as a rural town inhabited by shabby old people resonates with me, as I spent my childhood in that region.

Meanwhile, industry grew in the suburbs and southwest.

High-tech companies such as Nintendo, Kyocera, Murata, Omron, and Nidec are located in the southwest and experienced rapid growth in the latter half of the Showa era.

These isolated companies, primarily B2B parts manufacturers with limited business relationships with other companies, have ventured into the global market.

Its location, due to its proximity to the Hanshin Industrial Zone and excellent transportation access, meant it was separated from central Kyoto.

In central Kyoto, people were cautious about market transactions, and the financial industry did not develop.

Kyoto Bank is the only bank headquartered in Kyoto. This is a difference from Osaka.

There is also a lack of venture capital firms, securities companies, and other entities that act as "guides to the market."

The city also has a weak incubation function, which the author calls a "cradle city."

Another characteristic is the lack of urban infrastructure.

It has particular peculiarities in its railway network.

While the city's streetcar system was abolished and subways were built to the east and west, the Keifuku and Eizan Electric Railway lines are essentially dead ends.

From Kyoto towards Osaka, there are the Keihan, Hankyu, Kintetsu, and JR lines, but the coordination between them is poor.

The city center is practically empty, while there's a lot of waste in the outward-facing areas.

We will also touch upon Japanese cuisine, particularly Kyoto cuisine, which has now become a central part of tourism.

Originally, Kyoto was known for its extravagant clothing and Osaka's extravagant food, but it wasn't a city of food.

A town with no fish and food that's too expensive for ordinary people.

I wonder if the emergence of restaurants like Osho and Tenkaippin was a reaction to that?

There's an interesting analysis using web data from sites like Tabelog that shows the majority of popular restaurants were founded this century.

The comparative analysis of Boston and Paris is also interesting.

Boston was an old industrial city centered on the textile industry, with universities such as MIT and Harvard concentrated there.

After its decline, it revived in the 1990s and beyond through strengthened incubation programs and urban redevelopment.

The finance and consulting industries, as well as the IT industry, are strong, and venture businesses are also thriving.

Insightful.

And Kyoto aims to be the city that comes closest to its ideal, which is Paris.

"A city of culture, art, and cutting-edge industry."

However, Paris's prosperity is also a mirror image of France's extreme centralization, and some argue that Kyoto has no chance of occupying a similar position.

Besides Kyoto and Tokyo, I've also lived in Boston and Paris.

Both cities are sister cities of Kyoto. Let's learn from our sister city.

Now, the two policy recommendations stand out.

First, the "rice field" district will be redeveloped to have two lanes.

Destroy the city center. It's reminiscent of Haussmann's redevelopment of Paris.

In addition to the circular subway system, the plan includes extending the expressway into the city and converting it to an underground expressway.

It's reminiscent of the redevelopment of Boston.

Bold.

It has also been pointed out that Kyoto lacked power within the central political system.

Finally, the topic of digital defeat will also be mentioned.

The loss of international competitiveness in the ICT sector is attributed to a failure of central government policy.

My ears hurt.

Furthermore, they are placing their hopes on creating a cluster of ICT companies that can rival Tokyo.

I too closed the book, feeling a sense of hope.