Kyoto: An Urban History of Japan’s Premodern Capital by Matthew Stavros (University of Hawaii Press, 2015) Book review by Paul Carty, WiK member. This first appeared in the Kyoto Journal. ************** Kyoto is one of the great centers of culture in the world. We can find many traces of its long history as we explore …Read More
Author: John Dougill (Page 36 of 45)
KJ 87 Amazingly, Kyoto Journal is approaching its 30th anniversary—not bad going for an all-volunteer non-profit publication, in any context. Back in the pre-Internet days of monochrome cut-and-paste layout (art-knife and toxic spray-nori) we had no inkling that the magazine would last more than a few issues, or that it would continue to evolve over …Read More
WiK’s Basho Colloquium, held on Oct 28 at Ryukoku University, proved a highly entertaining affair, both in terms of the presentations and of the socialising afterwards. There were three high-quality talks, each from a very different perspective – one of them rooted in traditional author analysis, one a very modern reading of fictionality, and one …Read More
Why The World Still Needs Full-Time Foreign Correspondents By Eric Johnston Along with polar bears and black rhinos, the plight of the full-time foreign news correspondent is a subject of growing concern among arm-chair zoologists who fear the magnificent beast, which once roamed the world at will and congregated at exotic watering holes, is now …Read More
Phantasmagoria Ⅰ An old well left In an empty land— A cherry petal drops into it. Desolate lands, Beaten by the rain–– A dayflower blooms Construction noise Echoing in the rain— A machiya screams A Cicada’s voice Lost in the noise– Demolishing another machiya The cicadas’ call and respond …Read More
October 2 saw the book launch of Alex Kerr’s new book, Another Kyoto. A packed audience hung on his every word as he ran through his thoughts on Kyoto and Japan, drawing on his vast experience in terms of involvement with the country’s arts and architecture. The evening was split into two parts, with a …Read More
Letters to Uko (A chapter from Take Back the Sun – Basho Tells Her Story Translations and Commentary by Jeff Robbins Assisted by Sakata Shoko) [Bold face is used for Basho’s own words] Of the women in Basho’s circle the most fascinating is Uko who lived in Kyoto with her husband Boncho. We have so …Read More
WRITERS IN KYOTO PRESENTS THE SECOND ANNUAL KYOTO WRITING COMPETITION Theme: Kyoto (English language only) Deadline: March 1, 2017 (midnight JST) Genre: Short Shorts (unpublished material only) Form: Short poems, character studies, essays, travel tips, whimsy, haiku sequence, haibun, wordplays, dialogue, experimental verse, etc. In short, anything that helps show the spirit of place in …Read More
Allen S. Weiss is known to many in Kyoto through his books on aesthetics, and in recent years he has given well-received talks on the subject (see here). His latest book has now appeared, and he has generously agreed for us to reprint the Preface below as well as providing samples of the always exceptional …Read More
The WiK Competition Organiser, Karen Lee Tawarayama, has set up a blog called Kyoto Faces with the ambitious aim of giving a picture of the ordinary lives of Kyoto residents. For a city famed for its tourist sights and imperial history, it’s a valuable project for while the opinions of foreign observers are often bandied …Read More
Kyoto Writing Competition
WiK Anthologies
The Nature of Kyoto (2023)
Eds. Lisa Twaronite Sone & Robert Weis
Foreword by Pico Iyer
Structures of Kyoto (2021)
Eds: Rebecca Otowa & Karen Lee Tawarayama
Foreword by Judith Clancy
Encounters with Kyoto (2019)
Eds: Jann Williams & Ian Josh Yates
Foreword by Juliet Winters Carpenter
Echoes (2017)
Eds: John Dougill, Amy Chavez, & Mark Richardson
Preface by Alex Kerr
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