Book Review of The Way of the Fearless Writer by Beth Kempton (Piatkus 2022)) Reviewer: Rebecca Otowa （Beth Kempton is a writer and mentor who spent a year in Kyoto in the nineties, and has travelled back and forth frequently since then. Her books may be found on amazon.com.） Now that the New Year’s season has passed …Read More
Tag: Rebecca Otowa (Page 2 of 3)
by Rebecca Otowa 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 …Read More
Book Review of The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki (560 pages) Reviewer: Rebecca Otowa Readers of this website may remember that I wrote a piece called “Insight on a Rainy Day” in August 2022, largely about the Heart Sutra (Hannya Shingyo) and its central message, “Emptiness is none other than form; form is …Read More
by Rebecca Otowa Like many of you, living in Japan has meant I have a special relationship with the Hannya Shingyo (“Heart Sutra”), that one-page piece of writing that is said to summarize the teachings of Buddhism as taught in many sects, including Zen. In my student days, while studying Japanese Buddhism at Otani University …Read More
Review by Rebecca Otowa I wanted to read and review this book for two reasons. First, I was captivated by the very attractive cover illustration by Kawase Hasui. Second, I myself had visited the city of Kanazawa in 2021 – though my visit was short, I did manage to see some of the more important …Read More
A new publication features WiK members, Rebecca Otowa and Ted Taylor…. Blurb – A Passion for Japan brings together the stories of thirty long-term residents of Japan who have, among other things, gained behind-the-scenes access to one of Japan’s most famous festivals; worked as an interpreter and commentator in professional and amateur sumo; been ordained …Read More
REVIEW by Rebecca Otowa THE WIDOW, THE PRIEST AND THE OCTOPUS HUNTERBy Amy Chavex (Tuttle 2022) Available on Amazon Amy Chavez has had an unusual life in Japan. Beginning in a teaching position in Okayama, a city between Kobe and Hiroshima, she moved to an island in the nearby Japan Sea known as Shiraishi (White …Read More
Book Review by Rebecca Otowa OF ARCS AND CIRCLES: insights from Japan on gardens, nature, and artby Marc Peter Keane (Stone Bridge Press, 2019) The first thing I noticed about this book is that it is made up of essays, similar to Pilgrim at Tinker Creek and Teaching a Stone to Talk by Annie Dillard, which …Read More
THE SHORT STORY COLLECTIVE: 13 TALES FROM JAPAN by Andrew Innes Available from Amazon in paperback and ebook formats Review by Rebecca Otowa This collection of 13 short stories invites the reader to join the author in a challenging navigation of the seas of reality and fantasy. There are twists, turns and illusions galore, and …Read More
A Short Story by Rebecca Otowa (October 2021) Keiko opened the metal front door with her key and almost fell inside. Her shadow, cast by the streetlight, lurched, and her white shoes seemed to tangle together. She recovered her balance, hauled her big carrier bag and a smaller one inside, and closed the door. She …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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