Kyoto, mon amour

On the surface, The Old Capital tells the story of a year in the life of a young woman in post-war Kyoto, who was adopted as a baby by a couple that owns a store for traditional Japanese clothes. By chance she meets her twin sister and through her learns about her own background. Subplots include two young men’s interest in her and also her adoptive father’s troubles with the changes progress is bringing to his world.

However, underneath this simple and rather uninteresting storyline exists a wealth of layers. There are the Japanese costums and traditions that play a prominent role, the Japanese class system that divides people, and the way men and women interact with each other. What is proper behaviour and what not? What does family mean, the people who raised you or the people that gave you up, and why would someone even give you up? How do you deal with an ever-changing world? Additionally, nature and its seasons not only provide a backdrop to the story, but also an extra layer of meaning to the events.

And above all this towers Kyoto as the true protagonist. The way Kawabata describes the city and its ancient buildings, beautiful gardens and traditonal culture is a love letter to a unique place, but in line with the rest of the book it is also a swan song, because progress and especially Western influence is beginning to change the city inexorably.

It’s truly amazing how Kawabata manages to pack so much into such a short book, he really is a master of saying more with less. His style is very precise and he does not bother with the unnecessary, which maybe makes his writing less accessible, as you have to read between the lines a lot. There really are no big dramatic scenes, no obvious conflict situations, because so much is internal, but that’s a lot of the charm. Highly recommended, especially if you are interested in Japanese culture.