E03 • Life-Affirming Sounds

In downtown Kawaramachi, surrounded by high-rise buildings and constant traffic, most people seek escape from the noise. But Liz chose to live here deliberately.

In this episode, I speak with Liz, originally from England, who lived in Mexico and California before making Kyoto her home. She tells me about "life-affirming sounds"—the difference between human sound and machine noise, and why the bustle of Kawaramachi reminds her of what she loved most about Mexico City.

From the clatter of shop shutters opening in the morning to the traditional fire prevention night-watch echoing through modern streets, Liz shows us how sound shapes our sense of home in unexpected ways.

Thank you to Liz for sharing her story and providing a few of her own field recordings of Kawaramachi for this episode.

Find more about my sound walks at ⁠kyotoinsound.com⁠, with behind-the-scenes moments shared over on ⁠Substack⁠.