One of the first things that surprised me about Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, was the sheer number of cars and motorcycles.
Although it is a major city, traffic lights seemed remarkably scarce—at least in the areas I walked through.
Pedestrians, cars, motorcycles, rickshaws and even dogs all appeared to be moving towards their own destinations at the same time.
To my eyes, accustomed to the more regulated roads of Japan, everything initially seemed to be moving without any order at all.
The city is also filled with narrow, winding streets that turn, divide and reconnect like the passages of a maze. Kathmandu truly felt like a city built as a labyrinth.
What puzzled me most was that, despite all these people and vehicles crossing one another’s paths, the scenes I witnessed did not result in accidents.
Everything was completely unexpected from a Japanese point of view. I could only stand there, overwhelmed by the energy of the streets.
Kathmandu is Nepal’s largest city and its political and cultural capital. Ancient temples and traditional neighbourhoods exist alongside a rapidly expanding modern city. This layering of different periods and ways of life may be one reason the city felt so labyrinthine to me.
▼ Part of Kathmandu seen from the hilltop at Swayambhunath
Swayambhunath is a Buddhist sacred site on a hill west of Kathmandu. It is one of the seven monument zones that together form UNESCO’s Kathmandu Valley World Heritage property. The hilltop offers a broad view across the Kathmandu Valley.
▼ The energy of Kathmandu’s streets
▼ Cars and motorcycles moving through Kathmandu
The journey of Hitotsuya（ひとつ屋） continues in “Nepal Travel Journal (3): Good News—Studying at a Weaving Workshop” (Japanese page).