It is not only in the clean air in the bamboo forests or the green forests that surround the city. There is something very serene about Kyoto that is deeply rooted in everyday life.
Kyoto has cherished its elegant simplicity for centuries coupled with its aesthetic of cleanliness and purity. Maximum refinement is accompanied by a sense of purity. In Kyoto, it’s not just about the ideal atmosphere, but also about current practices built into the way of life and welcoming guests.
Japan’s ancient capital justifies its legacy of well-being and balance in its new campaign “TheKyotoPromise: EnhaceyourWell-Being”, which shows how the new habits we must adopt globally to protect ourselves from the pandemic are part of the spirit of the city, which pervades every corner of Kyoto with purity, poise and compassion.
Kyoto has cherished its elegant simplicity for centuries coupled with its aesthetic of cleanliness and purity.
Kyoto City Tourism Association (KCTA), has launched a campaign inviting the citizens of the world to rediscover the ancestral values of the old imperial capital: compassion, purity, the sense of personal space and minimalist beauty, more current and necessary than ever to connect to do with the sense of well-being that this beautiful Japanese city offers.
This campaign, entitled “TheKyotoPromise: EnhaceyourWell-Being”, discusses some of the most deeply rooted cultural aspects of Kyoto culture, centered around the proverbial Japanese hospitality and reflected in several practices that have become fundamental today. of the lives of millions of people.
The cleanliness and tidiness, the connection with the outdoor spaces, the water and the gardens, the decorative balance and the refined lines, and the importance of the personal space are the protagonists of a video, which explores the spiritual value of these practices and traditions which have been a part of life in Kyoto for hundreds of years.
Purification and Balance: The Legacy of Well-Being in Kyoto
The video highlights the organic and spiritual nature of these rituals which, unlike other Western and Eastern countries, have not been adopted recently, but are the backbone of Kyoto society and its sense of hospitality.
These daily customs permeate many other local and national traditions, from the thermal baths to the tea ceremony, through meditation, decoration, ikebana, purification with water at the doors of temples or in houses, or the various local artistic expressions.
“TheKyotoPromise: EnhaceyourWell-Being” is also an invitation to the healing of the soul, the purification of body and mind. It is about finding balance in a time of great complexity for humanity, exploring places full of beauty and peace, such as temples, shrines and gardens of Kodaiji, HeianJingu or the iconic corridors of Torii by Fushimi Inari Taisha; the areas dedicated to hot springs (onsen), the peaceful bamboo forests; or the machiya’s rooms, traditional houses converted into picturesque accommodations such as GionHatanaka, Hiiragi or Sowaka, all magical and enchanting places quietly waiting for travelers to return to reconnect with them.
You’re welcome, remotely. Explore Kyoto safely and with pleasure.
This year many of us stayed home in the spring and missed the beautiful view of Kyoto awash with cherry blossoms. But tourists are gradually returning to the city since the state of emergency was lifted in June.
“TheKyotoPromise: EnhaceyourWell-Being” discusses some of the most deeply rooted cultural aspects of Kyoto culture
When visiting Kyoto, it is essential to visit sights without avoiding the “3Cs” *. To help control the spread of the infection, temples, shrines, shops, restaurants, public facilities and the local government are teaming up to implement precautions against “3Cs”. They ask everyone’s cooperation in the effort to make the visit safe and enjoyable for everyone.
(The 3C’s: spaces cBad ventilation fault / crowded places with many people cerca / settings cclose contact, such as close-range conversations).
Staying at home has emphasized the value of experiences that cannot be had on a screen. This is especially true for travel. Let’s make the joy of exploring a city with our two feet part of our lives again.
① Social detachment
Always keep a distance of at least two meters from others when you are in line for a bus or train, or when you are in line for a restaurant or shop.
②Mascarillas
Wear a mask in shops, museums and other closed or busy public areas, and in confined areas with poor ventilation. Carefully dispose of used masks. Litter is prohibited.
③ Hand hygiene
Use the alcohol-based hand sanitizer provided at restaurant entrances, public facilities, and other locations.
④ Get the latest information on your phone
Let’s make the joy of exploring a city with our two feet part of our lives again
Kyoto City has developed an application called AnshinTsuisekiService that allows you to receive email notifications if someone has been to a store, restaurant or facility where you tested positive for COVID-19. We ask for your cooperation in providing related information when requested. You can register by simply scanning a QR code with your phone at participating locations.
⑤ Daily health management.
Each time you return home or to your hotel room, wash your hands thoroughly with soap under running water for 15 seconds. Check your health and measure your temperature daily.
Welcoming tourists to safe Kyoto: hospitality in the age of COVID
Many people want to visit Kyoto for an autumn excursion and enjoy the fall foliage and seasonal dishes, but they dare not. Their concern about what could happen if they become infected with COVID-19 while traveling is understandable.
You should know that Kyoto tourism and tourism industry companies work as a team to implement a variety of infection control measures.
That’s why we’re going to present the details of the initiatives to stay safe, including the guidelines that form the basis of those initiatives, stickers indicating which establishments customers can visit with confidence, and a new project that customers can participate in to contribute. to strengthen infection control measures.
- Kyoto and the project “Security today, smile tomorrow”
– What are the colored stickers that we often put on the entrances of shops and restaurants in the city?
Kyoto (hereinafter simply referred to as “Tourist Association”) – These stickers demonstrate the company’s commitment to follow guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19. In July of this year, 23 tourism-related businesses in the city of Kyoto and the prefecture responded to the association’s call and jointly developed guidelines for COVID-19 infection control measures for safer tourism (in Japanese only at https: // yes. Kyoto.travel / withcorona / guideline /).
The guidelines are designed to protect the safety of not only tourists, but also local residents and workers
At the time, the home stay period and travel restrictions between prefectures were relaxed, so it was important to properly ensure the safety of everyone, including Kyoto, tourists, and people in the tourism industry. receive tourists.
These stickers have been distributed to companies that support and comply with these guidelines.
– The stickers show that all those involved in Kyoto’s tourism industry came together to create the guidelines. How many stores are there currently with the stickers?
Tourism Association: there were about 7,500 at the end of September. Their use has spread beyond restaurants and shops to various tourism-related industries such as accommodation, tourist facilities, and bus and taxi companies, so they have become fairly familiar.
– Some features of the guidelines?
Tourism Association: There are three main features of the Kyoto guidelines.
The first is that the guidelines should protect the safety not only of tourists, but also of local residents and workers. It is intended for companies in the Kyoto tourism industry, who can protect the safety of the local population by taking the lead in infection control measures and acting appropriately towards tourists.
The second is that the guidelines cover different industries. Industry-specific standards have also been set for accommodation providers, restaurants, transport companies, etc., but the guidelines cover all industries and aim to make tourism in Kyoto generally safe and thus protect everyone.
And the third is that the guidelines plan to integrate infection control measures with Kyoto’s unique hospitality. Promoting infection control measures may mean that we cannot provide the same hospitality and service as in the past, but tourism companies are striving for a new style of hospitality where comprehensive infection control measures and hospitality can co-exist. in harmony.
– In addition to the measures you mentioned, are there other measures that offer customers security?
Tourist Association: For everyone’s peace of mind, we also want people to sign up for services such as Kyoto, Kyoto prefecture KOCOTORO COVID-19 for emergency or request confirmation of COVID-19 CACAO contact. You can then record the stores, restaurants and facilities you have visited and then be notified if you are a risky contact in case someone gets infected there. Then you can get tested quickly to see if you have contracted the virus to minimize the risk of infecting your family and others around you.