The Night Watch

Every winter, volunteers walk the streets clapping wooden blocks and calling out fire warnings - a tradition that refuses to fade

The first time I heard it, I thought someone was being murdered. Two sharp claps, then a voice cutting through the dark: Hi no youjin! Be careful of fire. Another two claps. Footsteps fading down the street.

It was 9pm on a Tuesday in December. I was three months into living here, still startled by everything.

The Night Patrol

Every winter, neighbourhood volunteers walk the streets after dark, clapping wooden blocks called hyoshigi and calling out warnings. Hi no youjin - fire caution. The practice dates back to the Edo period, when cities were built of wood and paper, and a single unattended flame could consume entire districts.

The patrols run from December through February, when the air is driest and heaters run constantly. They're organised by the local fire brigade volunteers or the chonaikai - the neighbourhood association that handles everything from garbage schedules to festival planning.

The route never changes. Neither does the rhythm. Two claps, the call, two claps, silence. The sound carries further than you'd expect.

Why It Still Exists

Japan hasn't had a major urban fire in decades. Building codes are strict. Smoke detectors are mandatory. The wooden machiya townhouses of Kyoto are increasingly rare, replaced by concrete and steel.

And yet the patrols continue.

Partly it's practical. Space heaters and kotatsu still cause fires every winter - usually elderly residents who fall asleep, or faulty wiring in older buildings. The patrols remind you. Turn off your heater. Check your stove. Don't dry your laundry too close to the flame.

Partly it's something else. The patrol is a visible presence - neighbours looking after neighbours, walking the same streets their predecessors walked. It costs nothing except time. It asks nothing except awareness.

The Volunteers

I've met a few of the patrol members in my neighbourhood. Retired men, mostly. A few women. Children too - some patrols include kids from the local elementary school, small hands learning the rhythm. Everyone wears reflective vests. One man told me he's been doing it for eighteen years. His father did it before him.

They don't expect thanks. Most residents barely notice anymore - the sound blends into winter the way cicadas blend into summer. Background noise. Seasonal furniture.

But newcomers notice. Tourists staying in rental apartments post confused videos online. What is this sound? Is this normal? It is. It's one of the ways a neighbourhood takes care of itself, quietly, after dark, when no one is watching.

Joining In

Foreigners can participate. The chonaikai usually welcomes anyone willing to show up. You don't need to speak much Japanese - the phrases are short, the rhythm is easy to learn. Hi no youjin. Kajiyo youjin. Be careful of fire. Be careful of flames.

I haven't joined yet. But I've stopped flinching when I hear the claps. Now it just means winter. It means someone is walking the streets so the rest of us can sleep. It means the neighbourhood is still paying attention.

Two claps. Silence. Footsteps moving on.