By Sara Ackerman Aoyama [The author was a member of the 1976 Associated Kyoto Program and this was her first, but certainly not her last, visit to Kyoto. This is an excerpt from her memoir in progress on learning to read with the counterculture in Kyoto.] The three of us Midwesterners had become close friends …Read More
Author: WiK (Page 5 of 13)
July 16, 2023 | Irish Pub Gnome, Kyoto I’ve been thinking about tonight’s theme: Words and Music. Seems to me we are here basically to listen—and to be gently surprised by what we hear. Mostly we think of things we do as actions, but even taking a walk may be not so much about a …Read More
Writers in Kyoto held its Words & Music open-mic style event on July 16, 2023, in a return to an in-person format. The date was, of course, yoi-yama, the eve of the Gion Festival’s first procession, and we enjoyed that atmosphere at the event venue, the Gnome Irish pub. A number of participants came dressed …Read More
Book Review by Rebecca CopelandJune 25, 2023 There were exactly eleven houses on this road that had no name. Everyone called it Uchida Road because most of the people who lived there bore the name Uchida. There was a connection, an invisible chain that linked the houses because they were shinseki, relatives. The link began …Read More
On sale now from Amazon.com, Amazon.co.jp, and other Amazon marketplaces. Edited by Lisa Twaronite Sone & Robert WeisForeword by Pico Iyer The city of Kyoto has inspired awe in generations of travelers, writers and poets alike. In this anthology, 30 contributors explore the nature of the old capital: its gardens, mountains, old shrines and temples, …Read More
Jann WilliamsMay 14, 2023 A yellow caterpillar inspires poetry, a heart is opened, elusive scents are pursued, the sense of touch is playfully explored, a TikTok video is born, lives are changed. These instinctive and creative responses were evoked by an invitation to discover the beauty and wonder of nature, amidst the verdant forest foliage …Read More
by Stephen Benfy John and Eri had just moved into their new apartment on the edge of town when a sound caught John’s ear. “I’ve never heard that before,” he said. Eri looked up from her phone, smiled, and went back to chatting with a friend. John slipped on his shoes. __________________________________________________________________________________________ The fraying edge …Read More
by Edward J Taylor Blame it on the low yen, revenge travel, whatever, but our city found itself quite quickly under siege. After three lean but pleasantly restful years, it was startling to encounter this many people in town, and to do so many consecutive days of guiding. I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with …Read More
Haiku and photos by Mayumi Kawaharada Winter Interminable queuesof displaced people— blizzard-ridden road Mother and baby carried off by the attacks— trampled winter roses War turns gentle siblings into crazed soldiers— a frozen battlefield Soldiers loot, for their loved ones… furious snowstorm A doll in red on a muddy snowmelt road — immobilized tanks Raging winter rain to the ashen …Read More
Celebrated photographer John Einarsen has a new book out, entitled This Very Moment. Below he describes the process by which the striking images are created. This week not only sees the 104th edition of the Kyoto Journal which he manages, but the opening of ‘Perception beyond Borders’, an exhibition of his photographs at Kunjyunkan gallery …Read More
Recent Comments