Could you tell us a little about yourself and maybe tell us a bit more about your Instagram name?
My name is Rachel and I’m originally from the UK. I was born in Hampshire, grew up in North Norfolk and then moved from Nottingham to Edinburgh to Herefordshire and to the Cotswolds before coming to Kyoto in January 2016. When I moved, I decided to set up an instagram primarily to share images of my new life here with family and friends back home, but it’s since grown into a great following of people that have an active interest in travel to Japan. I use it now as a place where I can share the beauty of the country alongside insider tips on where to visit. The Japanese for foreigner is gaijin, the ‘gai’ being pronounced similarly to the English word ‘guy’, which is what inspired my handle ‘Girljin in Japan’. As I say on my profile, “Gaijin living in Kyoto… But I'm a girl.”
What first sparked your interest in Japan?
My husband and I both worked in the alcohol industry back in the UK, he still does here, so we were very familiar with Japanese whiskies and the kind of cult following that they had. I was really interested in the places behind the bottles, so Japan just became this mystery land that produced amazing products and I guess I was really intrigued by that.
What in particular drew you to Kyoto and how did you end up settling down there?
I made the move to Kyoto because of my husband’s job. He was approached in the UK to work on a new distillery in Kyoto where he was appointed Head Distiller and so we moved to for him to help establish that. We had just married 6 months earlier so it was all a bit of a whirlwind move! We flew out to Japan for a week to decide if we could live here (which seems crazy to me now) and we both just decided to take the plunge. That was 5 years ago. We moved 4 months later and have been here ever since.
What surprised you the most when you first started living in Japan?
The culture. It’s so different to anywhere I’ve been before. Everyone says it, but it really is true and it’s hard to put your finger on exactly what some of the small distinctions are, but you can just feel it. The streets are clean and quiet, people aren’t rushing or stressed (at least outwardly so anyway). There’s just a sense of respect. Respect for things, respect for others, respect for the rules. It was definitely a culture shock, but a pleasant one to come into.
What is daily life in Kyoto like?
Kyoto is renowned as being the cultural capital of Japan, it’s a hub of incredible artisans, the birthplace of the tea ceremony and home to a wealth of traditions that haven't changed in generations, yet in recent years, it has been surprisingly open to welcoming in modern living. The atmosphere here is hard to describe. I can only say that it is uniquely "Kyoto" and effortlessly sophisticated. Modern galleries sit next to 1000 year old kimono makers and everyone seems to know their place. It certainly is a city that will never cease to amaze me. I think I could live here for forty more years and still not discover all of her secrets. There are layers to living in this city and the longer you stay, or the more often you visit, the more those layers open up to you. Though I think only a very few people will ever experience it all. That is a lifetime’s endeavour.
Up until recently, Kyoto was quite busy for tourists - which of the main sites do you think first time visitors shouldn't miss out on and do you have any tips for visiting the busy ones?
Kyoto in the past few years was suffering from a few effects of over-tourism and it’s been crazy to see the difference that the pandemic has made. Life has returned to normal and locals feel much more relaxed. For that reason, I’m actually a huge advocate of more off-the-beaten path places. Yes Kyoto has a few incredible, famous temples, but it also has hundreds of others that are just as beautiful and far less busy. To me, the impact of a place is taken away when you’re jostling with selfie-stick wielding crowds, so unless you want to go to the famous sites at 6am, I’d recommend being adventurous and exploring some of the lesser-known spots. My favourite temples are Renge-ji and Ruriko-in in the north of the city, Kosan-ji and Takaosan Jingo-ji near Mt Takao and Otagi Nenbutsu-ji in Arashiyama. If you want something not quite as off-the-beaten path, then I’d suggest heading for Kennin-ji and Chion-in in Higashiyama, both are quite well known but still always manage to seem tranquil, beautiful and with a deep connection to the surrounding nature.
Do you have any favourite off the beaten track areas of Kyoto, lesser known to tourists?
Mt Takao and Mt Hiei are beautiful and offer great (easy) hiking trails too. They’re both pretty accessible from the centre of the city. I love Yoshimine-Dera to the east, which is also very close to the Muko ‘Path of Bamboo’, a similar setting to the Bamboo Forest in Arashiyama only with a fraction of the visitors. I much prefer it to Arashiyama, though it can be a little inaccessible.
If you want to escape the city entirely then the north of Kyoto Prefecture has stunning mountains and coastline. The Kyotango peninsula is full of beautiful beaches, azure waters and the freshest fish, it doesn’t feel like mainland Japan at all and I’m obsessed with it.
Just past Arashiyama is Kameoka which is home to Yunohana Onsen, a very secluded little hot spring town that has some great ryokan options - I really like Sumiya Kihoan. The area is famous for yuzu, a type of Japanese citrus, which is incorporated into everything during the winter season when it’s readily available. I’ve even heard that the area is famous for yuzu baths but I’ve, unfortunately, not yet had the pleasure of trying it.
Any cafe or food recommendations?
Too many! So I’ll keep it short, but see my instagram for way more options.
For breakfast, Kishin Kitchen do a really well executed Japanese style offering which is all about rice and local Kyoto produce, from vegetables to miso to pork. I love that they take such care and attention to detail in everything, even the particulars of the ceramics are explained. Plus the food really is very good.
Monk is great for dinner. The chef specialises in laid-back, multi-course menus that always finish with a wood-fired pizza. The focus again is on fresh, local, seasonal produce and they use a Japanese cheese producer whose products rival that of the best European cheese (something which is unheard of in Japan as the cheese here is generally not great). This place is one of the best restaurants I’ve visited anywhere in the world.
Cafe & Gallery 隠 On is a great example of a very wabi-sabi style cafe that serves really great drinks and a couple of dishes in a stunning setting and in carefully-curated ceramics. It’s just a lovely place to while away an afternoon and they have a small gallery on the second floor if any of the wares take your fancy.
It looks like you've travelled quite a bit around the wider kansai region. Which day trips out of Kyoto would you recommend to someone wanting to use Kyoto as a base to explore?
As I mentioned earlier, Kyotango is really a special place. I think because I grew up by the sea I just have an affinity for the sounds of the ocean and I love to watch the water. It’s also very secluded. Down time is really important to me because my husband and I can get so busy with the industries that we work in and the jobs that we have, so I love the feeling of being left alone to discover unknown areas. My main love, though, is mountains and Japan has plenty of them. Neighbouring prefectures, Nara and Shiga, have some pretty amazing mountainous landscapes. The Miho Museum in Shiga is quite spectacular. The building itself (designed by I.M Pei) is carved into the landscape and the views of the surrounding mountains are seriously impressive. Mount Yoshino and the Soni Highlands in Nara are worth a visit for the hiking and natural scenery and then back here in Kyoto, Wazuka, the tea producing-region to the south is an area famed for their mountain tea fields and they really do take your breath away. There’s a farm there, Kirokuen, that I had the pleasure of visiting to help with the harvest this year in May. Owned and run by the women of the Hori family, the setting of some of their field, perched atop mountains with giant cedars at the edge of each field, only accessible by tiny, winding roads, are a sight to behold. I believe they’re happy to discuss tours with foreign visitors too.
This month we're looking at the word 'ikigai' and discussing what it means to different people but what is your impression of the meaning and ways in which you might have experienced it?
This is one of those amazing Japanese words/concepts that we don’t have a direct translation for in English, like wabi-sabi. Ikigai to me is what makes life meaningful. The sweet spot between what you love, what you’re good at and your offering to the world. I like to think that my purpose is to share stories; of people, of places, of things. To help make the world a little more connected through narratives into other cultures and experiences. I’ve met so many amazing people since relocating to Kyoto, people that I would have never had the opportunity to meet otherwise. They’ve opened my eyes to different walks of life and different purposes for being. What motivates and drives people is so varied and what is fitting for me isn’t the same for someone else, we’re all unique and remarkable and I think that’s what ikigai means to me.
How have things been with the pandemic situation at the moment?
In a way I feel lucky to have been in Japan during the pandemic. The country so far has been rather unscathed with low case-numbers and death-rate. We never went into a full lockdown here, rather a State of Emergency was issued, where families were requested to socially distance and isolate as much as possible and for the most part the people did and the numbers remained low. I’d say that 99% of people are wearing masks, though this was never going to be a tough ask as Japanese people are used to wearing them), but they’re also used to following the rules, like using hand-sanitizer and undergoing temperature checks, so from that aspect, it has been good. The difficulty is when it comes to travel. Japan is banning re-entry to the country for foreign visa-holders and so we can’t go back to visit family in the UK as we won’t be allowed back into the country, a place where we live and work. This rule is not the same for Japanese Nationals and so it feels unfair and a little disconcerting for me not knowing when I’ll be able to return to the UK.
Finally, where can we find you on social media and online?
I’ve recently launched a new website, retdfreelance.com, which shows my photography and writing portfolios and I am in the process of migrating my blog Girljin in Japan, over to this site too ( soon my girljininjapan.com domain will also redirect here) and I can be found on Twitter and Instagram @girljinjapan
