Coming from Japan, I always assumed Kyoto was the best place to feel time slow down.
This week in London, I realized I was wrong.
On Tuesday at 7am, I watched bankers rush past St Paul’s Cathedral, a dome that has stood there for more than 300 years.
I spend most of my days thinking about AI and where it is taking us. The pace is only increasing. The future is super exciting but scary at the same time.
London gives me something rare: the feeling of stepping out of that acceleration.
Kyoto has the history. But it is still home. The language, the customs, the rhythm are all familiar, so part of my mind never leaves my daily routine.
In London, almost nothing is familiar. The architecture, the language, the traditions.
Being a foreigner makes all the difference. In Kyoto, I’m surrounded by history I know. In London, I’m surrounded by history that feels completely unfamiliar.
What struck me most is that London’s history isn’t locked away in museums. It stands in the middle of one of the world’s great financial centers, still in daily use.
This trip taught me something I want to remember:
When the future feels too fast, don’t just go somewhere old.
Go somewhere old where you don’t belong.
In the age of AI, the ultimate luxury may not be access to the future.
It may be the ability to step out of it for a while.
