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Kyoto Journal 88
The latest Kyoto Journal update, from managing editor Ken Rodgers Kyoto Journal’s 88th issue, to be released in February, is another eclectic feast; I’d like to share a few highlights with Writers in Kyoto, as…
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Kyoto tengu
John Dougill writes… Lafcadio Hearn had a taste for the macabre, as is well-known from his Kwaidan (1903) collection of strange stories. In Ghostly Japan (1899) contains one such story which is set in Kyoto. …
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Basho and Supernatural Women
Supernatural Women: From Kwaidan to Basho Selection, Translation, and Commentaries by Jeff Robbins Those reading this article are probably familiar with Lafcadio Hearn’s life and writings, especially since this website has recently carried articles about…
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Passages into Kyoto’s past (Steiner)
Richard Steiner has an eye for characteristic Kyoto scenes, as his woodblocks display, but here he turns to a verbal rather than visual medium to explore one of Kyoto’s special hidden secrets – and these…
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WiK Competition 2016 (Newton/Samarit/Rose)
As the deadline for the 2017 WiK Writing Competition approaches (March 1), we’re posting some of the best ‘also ran’ entries from the 2016 competition in the hope that they may stimulate others into creativity….…
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Transience (Peter Macintosh)
One of the entries for the 2016 WiK Writing Competition provides a perfect example of how the restriction of 300 words can be overcome by suggestive vignettes that tell a story in themselves. The suggestion…
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Hearn on Pontocho
In the past twenty years Pontocho has changed out of all recognition. Now it is packed with tourists, English menus are everywhere, and there are shops which cater even to budget travellers. Needless to say,…
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WiK 2016 competition (Adams)
The following were submitted by independent filmmaker and freelance translator, William Adams, currently based in Miyazaki. Judges were impressed by the original and stimulating nature of the entry, though in the end the prizes went…
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Dinner talk with Judith Clancy
Sunday evening’s dinner talk by Judith Clancy proved a convivial literary evening as the author of Exploring Kyoto walked us through her several publications on the city. (Residents of Kyoto will surely have used Judith’s…
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5 Competition entries, 2016
This years WiK Competition closes in just over a week on March 1, and with time running out for entries we look back on some of the best runners-up from our previous competition in 2016. …
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Cats and Dogs in Basho
CATS AND DOGS IN BASHO Selection, Translation and Commentary by Jeff Robbins Words of Basho in this font, bold Last January David Duff posted his loving discussion of cats on this site which included no…
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Edith Shiffert, RIP
(John Dougill writes…) News comes of the passing away of Edith Shiffert (1916-2017), long time resident poet and a revered figure for those of us who belong to Writers in Kyoto. Other English-language authors lived…
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Poems and Photos by James Woodham
The Beach in Winter Yaki soba/tako yaki sign spins outside the closed shop. Pine tree leans, dropped needles rusted. Sparrows flung from a tree. Ducks disappear between waves. The fishing boat moves deeper. ******************* Beachcombing…
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Basho’s blossom kimono
Blessings Unto Kasane: Basho’s Haibun and Tanka of Hope to a Newborn Girl Translation and commentary by Jeff Robbins Assisted by Sakata Shoko (Basho’s own words in bold to stand out) Illustration by…
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WiK Competition 2017 Runner-up (Poulton)
Palm-of-the-Hand Story: The Blue General by Mark Cody Poulton, Victoria, Canada After my mother-in-law died, my wife and daughter were sorting through her things. When they opened her wallet, a funky smell filled the room.…
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WiK Competition 2017 Runner-up (Leow)
Yamaguchi-san by Florentyna Leow, Malaysian student in Kyoto That’s a nice haori you’re wearing. Are you on an errand now? Taking photos? Come in. I’ll make you some matcha. I’m all alone anyway. Well, come on…
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WiK Competition 2017 Winner
The Joys of Silence and Bewilderment by Jane Kramer, California Yesterday I went with our Japanese obaachan, aged 87, for a massage. I didn’t know for sure if we were really going because my Japanese…
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Hearn on silhouettes
On this day, over a hundred years ago, Lafcadio Hearn wrote a journal entry in Kyoto that found its way into the collection of essays in his book Kokoro (1896). Here, long before Kawabata wrote…
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Of Poetry and Pottery (Robert Yellin)
Robert Yellin yesterday launched the third year of WiK with a wonderful talk at The Gael, which was inspired and inspiring in the passion for pottery which infused his every word. Now recognised as a…
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Antiquarian Book Fair
Kyoto has three annual book fairs of interest to expatriates, for amongst the Japanese selections are a number of English books going relatively cheap, including art books and ukiyo-e prints. The spring fair is coming…
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Yagyu Kaido (Edward J. Taylor)
Hikers on the Yagyu Kaido trail can rest and recharge at the Toge Chaya tea house (above), which dates from the Edo period and has, on its walls, swords and rifles of samurai who left…
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To-ji (Snyder)
This Sunday is May 21st, which means that the popular flea market known as Kobo-san will be held at To-ji. It’s a busy bustling and packed affair, quite different from the To-ji which Gary Snyder…
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Dinner with Norman Waddell
NORMAN WADDELL born in Washington, D.C. in 1940, was attracted to Japan by the works of the legendary D.T. Suzuki and his protégée R. H. Blyth, taught at Otani University for over thirty years, and was…
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Another Kyoto book review
‘Another Kyoto’: Alex Kerr’s roving thoughts on Kyoto as it stands today by Stephen Mansfield. Special To The Japan Times. May 20, 2017. It appears that when the Japanologist Alex Kerr was a Rhodes Scholar…
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Guardian correspondent, Justin McCurry
Guardian correspondent Justin McCurry gave a talk at Ryukoku University on Friday which was open to WiK members, and four of us were in attendance, namely Paul Carty, Amy Chavez, Malcolm Benson and John D.…
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Japan Times anniversary
The Japan Times celebrated its 120th anniversary in style with a lively gathering at Cafe Maaru last weekend. As well as admin staff from its Tokyo office, in attendance were cultural attaches from the British,…
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Japan Times anniversary speech (Eric Johnston)
At the recent party to celebrate the 120th anniversary of The Japan Times (see here), the host and main speaker was Eric Johnston whose speech was dubbed the highlight of a glittering evening. Here by…
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Tokyo and Kyoto differences (Eric Johnston)
The differences between Tokyo and Kyoto have often been commented on, though as far as I’m aware no one has addressed the effect this has on the writing that comes out of the two cities,…
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Edith Shiffert NYT obituary
Edith Shiffert, a Poet Inspired by Nature and Her Life in Japan, Dies at 101 By MARGALIT FOX. JUNE 11, 2017. New York Times Edith Shiffert, an American poet whose work was profoundly influenced by…
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Kyoto and food
Kyoto: The City of Hungry Gods (by John F. Ashburne) October 12, 2016 Kyoto: The City of Hungry Gods John Ashburne, Food Writer for Louis Vuitton City Guide Kyoto introduces the wonderful food culture of…
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