Kyoto Punks at the Zen Garden

The walk to Ryōan-ji zen garden in Kyoto was one of the moments on my trip where I felt the most relaxed and comfortable in my state as a solo traveler. Although traveling alone and with people both have their ups an downs, one of the things I enjoy most about traveling alone is the people watching. Walking around and looking at people doing their thing, wondering what their stories are, how their day is going. On this walk, I saw a girl sitting alone in a train station, a quiet bike rider on a street of rainbow-colored flags, and a man fixing his motorcycle outside of his home. Sometimes traveling, especially in heavy tourist areas can be overwhelming, so these moments of ordinary quiet turn out to my favorite.

This specific duo was walking around Ryōan-ji taking pictures with a film camera, quietly moving in and out of mostly plain clothed tourists and locals. I loved them immediately. I imagine that they are brother and sister who live with three other people in a DIY loft in Osaka. They share a chubby dog named Sumo and are in a metal band called Crash Bandicoot. He designs streetwear but is getting tired of the fashion world and she cuts hair.

She cut his.

He hates it.