Some of the streets were so serene, you could dance in them.

Bloom Town

Before lockdown, Kyoto was overrun with tourists. Now that it’s been reclaimed by the locals, the fun really begins

By Christine Muhlke

On February 18, 2020, I landed in Kyoto for a four-day vacation. The world was beginning its coronavirus-induced shutdown, and as I walked through the city, I struggled to adjust to wearing the mask I’d been handed on my flight by a bowing Shinkansen seatmate.

During my stay, I had the exquisite illusion of having the ancient city to myself: empty temples, empty tables. With almost all Westerners going or staying home and Chinese tourists—who were said to have accounted for almost 70 percent of travelers in one of Japan’s most popular destinations—barred from entering, the only language I heard was Japanese.