A “morning stroll in Kiyomizu” to experience the “usual morning” of local residents MUJI BASE takes an “inverted” approach to the problem of overtourism in Kyoto. Instead of focusing on the daytime, when people are concentrated in the area, MUJI BASE is offering a different way to enjoy Kyoto by focusing on the quieter hours of the morning and evening, when there are no people around. One of the symbols of this approach is the “Early Morning Kiyomizu Mairi” guided tour (scheduled to be held daily from 5:40 to 7:00 a.m., 1500 yen), which is available only for guests staying at the hotel. The tour guide, Mr. Shoichi Uraoka, is a passionate person who ran for office and moved to Kyoto from Nagasaki, having lived in Kyoto as a student and wishing to convey the “everyday life” of Kyoto to people overseas. Ryoya Ito, manager of MUJI BASE KYOTO Kiyomizu, explains the aim of the tour as follows. What we want visitors to see most in the tour is how the people who live in this area visit Kiyomizu Temple. During our several visits, we found a community where only local residents gather during the morning hours. We found a community where only local residents gathered during the morning hours. They would do radio exercises while conversing with each other. Kiyomizu-Dera Temple, which we had seen as a tourist attraction, has become a place where the everyday life of the people who live there flows, and the presence of Kiyomizu-Dera Temple has become a reason for people to gather there. However, MUJI, which does not specialize in the tourism industry, had some difficulties in entering the local community. However, MUJI, which does not specialize in tourism, had some difficulties in entering the local community, he said. We kept a certain distance from everyone and asked, ‘May we introduce you to the local people?’ We worked together with respect and consideration,” said Manager Ito. When you actually go around Kiyomizu-dera Temple in the early morning with the tote bag and snacks inside, you will encounter an almost empty stage with birds chirping and nearby residents drinking water as part of their daily routine at Otowa-no-taki Waterfall. For a super-night owl, getting up at 5:00 a.m. was a hardship, but the feeling of being allowed to quietly visit the daily lives of the local residents, instead of consuming tourist attractions in the midst of the crowds, was a new discovery of richness.
© Source travel watch