The secret back way to Kiyomizu-dera begins on Shichi-jo Dori. It’s a secret now because the city of Kyoto over the last thousand or so years has grown up around it. Back in the Heian Period (794-1185), and maybe a little after that, it would have been how you got to Kiyomizu from the old Imperial Palace just south of what later became Nijo Castle. A visit to Kiyomizu was a popular outing for Imperial concubines of the day.
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On November 19, 2022, Shizuoka University professor Steve Redford celebrated his retirement with a very ambitious event. He invited two resident-in-Japan writers to join him in an event in which the three talked about their early lives, why they came to Japan, and their experiences of writing in English in Japan. They interspersed these personal tales with readings from their published works. About 50 live participants and 18 Zoom participants enjoyed the event.
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◆ THEME: Kyoto (English language submissions only)
◆ DEADLINE: March 31st, 2023 (23:59 JST)
◆ GENRE: Short Shorts (unpublished material only)
◆ WORD LIMIT: 300 Words (to fit on a single page)
◆ 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 a fresh light. A clear connection to Kyoto is essential.
He comes to me after nightfall.
I’ve lit the candles and incense, rung the bells at the small shrine in my studio, bowed my head, all as if I’m about to start work. The sticks and the needles stand ready, lined up in their boxes; the ink in its jars, rows of blue and black, yellow, green, aqua, red. I used red a lot, for the sweeping arms of demons, the brilliant skin of the Goddess of Mercy, the sun rising from the sea, the leaping carp the surfers all wanted put on. But the ink is crusted inside the jars and dust lies over my worktable, so thick it’s almost furry. The table, with its black cover, is furry; the cats sleep there for hours, undisturbed. Bea is there now, curled in a tight cat knot. As I stare down, she unwinds, blinks her amber eyes up at me, yawns, curls up again. Soon, she is snoring.
I am that insignificant. Now.
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Two of my favorite places in Kyoto are Yoshimine-dera and Sanko-ji. The temples are located partway up Shakadake, one of the mountains on the western side of Kyoto referred to as nishiyama (western mountains, 西山). Yoshimine-dera is famous for its beautiful ancient pine, its many blossoming trees, beautiful flowers, and autumn leaves. It is also the 20th temple on the Saikoku 33-temple Kannon Pilgrimage. Walking around the expansive temple grounds, with its various smaller temples, I always feel the “life force” of the place. Just beyond the north gate of the temple grounds is Sanko-ji. Both temples have a spectacular view of the city of Kyoto below, the hills and mountainsides of the eastern side of the city, and the areas to the south and southwest, but I actually prefer the calm of the smaller temple. And there, for a small fee, you can see some of the temple treasures and then enjoy a bowl of tea and a sweet in a quiet room with a perfect view.
Continue readingA Murder on Teramachi Street is a work in progress with plans for at least three more books to create a series. In this excerpt, Keiko who is the owner of a small restaurant called Den on Teramachi Street chats with an old friend who is a regular customer. After some amount of dithering, Keiko had rushed out to the grocer just down the street to purchase a few items. She had left the restaurant unlocked.
Continue readingWIK member Stephen Mansfield recently wrote an article for Asia Nikkei which serves as a comprehensive overview of the works and lives of foreign women writers in Japan, both past and present. The article can be found here and includes mention of a couple of WiK writers as well.
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Photographs and text by John Einarsen; translation by Mitsue Nagase
Continue readingJohn Einarsen’s images describe a journey of learning to pay attention to what is before us, to see beyond the obvious to a transcendent essence, and finally to return to the here and now with a new awareness. Isn’t that the ultimate purpose of visual art, or of meditation?
Allan Mandell
Kyoto has several colorful and bustling craft markets. held monthly at shrines and temples, where people peddle unique wares: hand-made clothes, plant-dyed yarn, wooden cutting boards, knitted hats, honey, dried flowers, and tons more besides. As she lives in Kyoto, Mona has bought several skirts made of antique indigo-dyed fabric over the years at these fairs, but sometimes, because she wears them so often the old cloth frays and small holes appear. So this Saturday afternoon Mona is carefully sewing up one of the holes with a tiny patch, also made of antique indigo cloth.
Continue readingCooler days of autumn have finally come to Kyoto, and the winning entries from our last writing competition have been shared in turn since May. Hopefully our readers have been inspired by these successful “short shorts” of 2022, and we hope to hear from many in our next round. An announcement regarding the WiK Eighth Kyoto Writing Competition (with a 2023 deadline for entries) is planned for next month. To see the full list of winners from this year’s competition, please click here.
Our top winner of 2022, Maria Danuco, was granted the prestigious Kyoto City Mayoral Prize for her piece titled “The Watcher”, which touches on a prevalent topic in recent years — the preservation of traditional structures and the unfortunate trend of replacing history with concrete. Not only is “The Watcher” a fine piece of writing, but it also bears a message worthy of wide readership and consideration. The current generations will inevitably determine the future landscape of Kyoto City, and we welcome and encourage further discussion on this very important topic of cultural and social significance. Therefore, the judges were unanimous in deciding to award Maria our top prize.
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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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