Found This Week

A series about the small discoveries that catch my attention while wandering through Kyoto (but this week I'm in Okinawa! 🌺)

I’m SJF, living in Kyoto and sharing the sounds and small details of this city — from rivers and temple gardens to local festivals. These letters follow my life here, my podcast Kyoto, in Sound, and the sound walks I guide, all with the hope of noticing what might otherwise be missed.

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I usually reserve the first Thursday of the month to post about the small things I’ve noticed, or paid attention to, recently in Kyoto. Maybe the way a shadow falls on a wall, a sound that I’ve discovered and fell in love with, or just a beautiful sheet of paper from one of Kyoto’s many beautiful stationery stores.

But this week I’ve been down south in Okinawa—on Ishigaki Island to be exact, taking a small break for my birthday 🎁

And so this weeks’ collection is all from Okinawa, which is an utterly gorgeous place; truly heaven on earth that I don’t think enough people visit when they come to Japan. A place that looks, smells and sounds very different from Kyoto!

The Sounds of a Small Island

→ Recently I’ve been really in love with the sounds of autumn after chatting to Chie about why they’re her favourite sound on episode two of the Kyoto, in Sound podcast. But Ishigaki sounds very different from Kyoto at the end of September—the insects in this palm grove are still as intense as in summer.

🎧 please listen with headphones

Here’s a few short videos from the beautiful Yonehara Palm Grove where this recording was captured:

If you are in Kyoto—or planning a visit soon—and would like to join me on a sound walk, please find more details here.

→ Ishigaki, together with its neighbouring island Taketomi, is a deeply musical island. Wandering around the town we heard people playing instruments from rooftops, in restaurants or cafes. Mostly, we heard the Sanshin—a snakeskin-covered instrument whose name translates to “three-strings”. It sounds something close to a banjo and is the precursor of the mainland Japanese instrument: the Shamisen. It’s said that the Sanshin is such a huge part of the Okinawan culture, that there’s one in every home.

We were lucky enough to catch a live performance at one of the restaurants we visited. Take a listen to this interesting singing style too!

We also caught the Tanadui Festival whilst on Taketomi Island; a festival that has been taking place each year for over 600 years. It’s basically their way of praying for bountiful crops in the coming year and is held over two days. Lots of music, dancing and prayer. We didn’t know the festival would be on, so that was a nice surprise to stumble across! Here’s a little recording from the opening act:

→ Have you ever seen tree roots as beautiful as these? I love the way they’re following the shape of the tiles. I wonder if the city planners knew the roots were going to do this when they planted the tree?

→ And finally—please do excuse me for finishing on this incredibly niche reference, but I’m sure someone will understand—all of the locations, in the more remoter parts of the island, look like they came straight out of the 1997 point-and-click game Riven.

What is something that you noticed this week that made you pause and think? It could be anything—please reply by email or leave a comment below.

Thank you for being here, and for noticing with me.

🍃 SJF