The well-known haiku poet Yosa Buson (1716-84) ranks among the finest of Kyoto’s literary figures. Born in what is now Osaka, he moved to Edo and studied poetry. After years of moving around, including following the footsteps of Basho to The Deep North, he settled in Kyoto at the age of 42 and took the …Read More
Author: John Dougill (Page 40 of 45)
this deep sky sea these deep currents well up the way below roiling riding your waves your curls your shores your sea our sea this deep sky sea •••••••••••••••••• first rays first rays illuminating new fresh green reflections still golden on the pond in the stream ************** in the wind the temples …Read More
It goes without saying that I am one bona fide, crazy ailurophile. Fortunate to be surrounded by them from early childhood (I grew up with 8 cats and 6 dogs) to now, I find cats to be a never ending, hairy bundle of exquisite joy, who without exception, without hesitation, always send my grateful spirit …Read More
The passages below are a truncated version of an essay contained in a guide to Rinzai Zen Study for Foreigners in Japan, written by Ruth Fuller Sasaki and produced in 1960 for The First Zen Institute of America. (For more about her life and connection with Kyoto, click here.) The comments are not only interesting …Read More
A Resting Place for His Spirit: Basho in Zeze from the Basho4Now Trilogy Translations and Commentary by Jeff Robbins Assisted by Sakata Shoko Of all the places Basho visited in his travels, one in particular, Zeze, a section of Otsu, (now around the eastern end of the Omi Ohashi Bridge) just across the mountains to …Read More
On December 12, the Hailstone Haiku Circle in conjunction with WiK set out on a hike into Kyoto’s Imperial Past, including Emperor Meiji’s burial mound (above), with the intention of culling a few haiku poems from the historical surrounds. There were six writers in all, and the report below was put together by haijin Mayumi …Read More
A talk on collecting and cataloguing ceramics in a leading pottery gallery, complemented by shakuhachi and saké – WiK’s winter event was an early solstice celebration and the perfect launch into the festive season. It highlighted three members of Writers in Kyoto, each an accomplished author and each a master of their chosen field. A …Read More
Michael Lambe: Michael Lambe is best known as the writer of Deep Kyoto blog, an ongoing online guide to finding fun and sustenance in Japan’s ancient capital. More recently he has been busy working for other websites too; writing for Inside Kyoto and KyotoStation.com, and editing the ZenVita architectural blog. Other articles have appeared in …Read More
What I’ve learned from reader comments by Amy Chavez With most publications having at least a part of their content online these days, it’s only a matter of time when as a writer, you’ll have to deal with the dreaded “reader comments.” Whether it be a traditional newspaper site, content marketing site or even a …Read More
Eric Johnston of The Japan Times Osaka office offers some basic advice to writers seeking to get published in his newspaper and Japan-based publications in general. Do you get a lot of inquiries from people seeking to get their work published in either your newspaper or other English-language media? If so, what kind of advice …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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