Yoshie Doi

　”If you do not paint Kyoto now, it will be gone. Please paint it while it still exists,” Kawabata Yasunari said to Higashiyama Kaii. That wish was realized in Higashiyama’s magnificent series of “The Four Seasons of Kyoto”…I can’t see the mountains, I can’t see the mountains. A city where I can’t see the mountains is not Kyoto to me, he lamented. …But even today, I long for the appearance of the capital to remain for a while…”

　This is part of the preface to “Kyoto Four Seasons” by painter Kaii Higashiyama. The good old Kyoto scenery is depicted by the artist through each season, creating a nostalgic landscape.

　The city where nature, town, and life coexist and protect each other is the very life of Kyoto citizens who live with the mountains in view every day. “Nothing reflects delicate and graceful beauty as sensitively as the nature of Kyoto. I think there are few examples of life in Kyoto that is so intimately connected to the seasons. It has been the foundation, support, and manifestation of the Japanese spirit of beauty since ancient times,” painter Higashiyama said, and this sentiment for Kyoto was also shared by Yasunari Kawabata.

　The novel “The Ancient Capital” was written with the hope of conveying the image of Kyoto in the Showa era in a way that would awaken the DNA of the Japanese people, make them grateful for nature, and portray a Kyoto that Japanese people have an attachment to that can only be described as in love with the city.

　I have written about the tourist tax for 11 times, and this is the final chapter. I hope that everyone who visits Kyoto will enjoy Kyoto, be filled with happiness, and have their hearts and souls healed. I hope that the government, businesses, and citizens will all work together to welcome many tourists.

　Kyo- Suzume would like to promote our proposals for an initiative that considers the income and expenditure of the tourist tax in a way that benefits both parties, as well as the proposals we have received from you all. We look forward to seeing the efforts of the relevant tourism administration departments.

　Kyo-Suzume also offered a long list of suggestions to help Kyoto feel more like Kyoto and showcase its best qualities.

　While clarifying what Kyoto’s role is, I would like to delve deeper into the potential that Kyoto holds and spread that knowledge. Whether the tourist tax is high or low depends on how much Kyoto tourists can be  enjoy and Kyoto citizens get merit. Thank you for reading to the end.

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Translated by Masami Otani

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