Understand Kyoto - Kyoto - page 337

The Lady and the Monk (Pico Iyer; 1991) An account of the author's relationship with a Japanese woman
against the backdrop of Kyoto.
Kyoto Suffers with Japan
In March 2011 northern Japan was struck by an earthquake and tsunami of almost apoca-
lyptic proportions. The epicentre of the quake was over 600km northeast of the city and
the city suffered no physical damage. Likewise, Kyoto was not affected by radiation fal-
lout from the nuclear plants at Fukushima, which are located over 500km northeast of the
city.
Despite the lack of immediate physical damage, Kyoto was economically devastated by
the disaster. The quake could not have struck at a worse time: Kyoto was just gearing up
for the annual rush of tourists who descend on the city to enjoy its famous cherry blos-
soms. Travellers, both domestic and foreign, cancelled their visits en masse. Residents of
Kyoto were treated to the bizarre spectacle of famous cherry blossom spots almost totally
free of tourists at the height of the cherry blossom season (ironically, spring 2011 was one
of the best seasons for blossoms in recent years).
Early figures for 2011 showed tourism receipts down about 50% in Kyoto. For a city
that depends very heavily on tourism, this is truly a frightening number. Despite slashing
prices, the city's hotels and ryokans were barely able to attract customers. Many of those
who did come were wealthy Tokyoites fleeing perceived radiation dangers in the capital.
As spring turned to summer in 2011, Kyoto residents were cheered to see tourists start-
ing to trickle back. They did their best to attract even more visitors, stressing that the city
is a long way from the affected areas and radiation levels in Kyoto never exceeded normal
annual averages (indeed, the wind usually blows west to east here).
By any rational measure, the city of Kyoto, like the rest of Japan, is facing enormous
challenges in the wake of the disaster. It is a sad reality that many worthy businesses will
be forced to close their doors. Still, Kyoto has weathered severe crises before. In the long
run, the city may even receive more visitors than in the past, due to its distance from the
areas most badly damaged by the quake. One can only hope that once travellers experien-
ce the beauty and safety of Kyoto, they will be emboldened to explore the rest of the
country as well.