Kaleindoscope (India, Jaipur)

On the banks of the Kamo-gawa, the Ponto-chō district embodies a fundamental principle of Japanese urban planning: layering, rather than substitution . In the foreground, the machiya —those wooden townhouses, with narrow but deep facades—form the historical backbone of Kyoto. Designed according to a logic of property tax (formerly calculated on the width of the facade), they housed artisans, merchants, and later teahouses and ryōtei . Today, some still welcome geiko (Kyoto geisha) and their apprentices, the maiko , for confidential evenings away from prying eyes.

Their location along the river responds to a dual logic: protection against flooding (hence the stilts) and the creation of spaces for contemplation facing the water, particularly during the summer terrace season ( kawayuka ). In the background, the modern city asserts its raw utility: raw concrete buildings , exterior metal staircases (regulatory in the event of an earthquake), visible air conditioning units - all elements tolerated in the local urban aesthetic, where functionality is not perceived as a lack of taste .

Here, harmony lies not in resemblance but in the coexistence of temporalities : kako to ima , the past and the present, linked not by nostalgia, but by a form of mutual acceptance . Japan does not restore to freeze, it preserves to continue .

This photograph was selected by the prestigious international gallery 1X.com, which recognizes works for their aesthetic and documentary value.