Here is the latest installment from Edward J. Taylor's ongoing exploration of Kyoto’s streets. Rainy season and the living is claggy. It usually arrives in June, and while it doesn't rain all day every day, the humidity tends to build and build so that when the rain does fall it brings with it great relief. The clouds do tend to linger, which can create a feeling of … [Read more...]
Encounters with Kyoto (Writers in Kyoto Anthology 3) Now Available
Here's a short announcement from the good folks at Writers in Kyoto (WiK): Encounters with Kyoto (Writers in Kyoto Anthology 3) On sale now from amazon.com and amazon.co.jp Edited by Jann Williams and Ian Josh Yates Foreword by Juliet Winters Carpenter Inside the covers lies the third collection of enticing works by Writers in Kyoto. From gardens to gangsters, … [Read more...]
Walking into the Light on Manjuji-dōri
Here is the latest installment from Edward J. Taylor's ongoing exploration of Kyoto’s streets. The weather over the weekend had proven a surprise, with the blemish-free bluebird skies of May bringing with it temperatures of 29°C. (It’s going to be a hot summer.) So I decided to set off early, which isn't terribly ideal as things in Kyoto don't begin to open until 10 am. … [Read more...]
Finding Old Magic on Kyoto’s Tominokōji
Here is the latest installment from Edward J. Taylor's ongoing exploration of Kyoto’s streets. History is written by the victors. A well-known expression of course, but I’d go one step further and say that history is also rewritten by the victors. (Quotes too are attributed to victors, but nowhere is there evidence that Winston Churchill actually said this.) Likewise, … [Read more...]
Komatsu South – New Machiya Serviced Accommodation in Kyoto’s Gion District
Komatsu South is a new machiya-style residence offering fully serviced vacation accommodation in the heart of Kyoto’s Gion district. Each of the building’s four apartments have their own self-catering and laundry facilities and guests are also provided with daily housekeeping and an e-concierge service. This is the perfect holiday location for independent travelers who want a … [Read more...]
Zen & Psychotherapy – A Talk with Reggie Pawle
Thanks to John Dougill for this news of an upcoming Writers in Kyoto event... A reminder about the Writers in Kyoto event this Sunday on the intriguing subject of psychotherapy and Zen. This is also one of our two events when we will be taking the membership fee of Y3000 for the coming year (the other event is on May 12 with Richard Lloyd Parry - click the link for … [Read more...]
A Detour Through the Quiet Life on Kuromon & Koromonodana Streets
Here is the latest installment from Edward J. Taylor's ongoing exploration of Kyoto's streets. Prior to setting off on these walks, I sit awhile with a Kyoto map before me, reading the street names and choosing those that are most familiar, or ones that resonate somehow. For today I chose a street that will take me from the heart of the city nearly to my doorstep. It … [Read more...]
Echoes Anthology E-Book Giveaway from Writers in Kyoto
A short message from the good folk at Writers in Kyoto (WiK)... Echoes, the 2017 Writers in Kyoto anthology is now available as a FREE e-book on amazon.jp. Featuring work by Alex Kerr, Amy Chavez, Eric Johnston, and more, this collection includes poetry, fiction, articles, translations, and stunning illustrations by the award-winning John Einarsen of Kyoto Journal. This … [Read more...]
From Bike Pound to Buddha on Rokkaku-dō Dōri
Here's this month's walk with Edward J. Taylor on the historic street of Rokkaku-dō Dōri. Though I’d already decided on Rokkaku-dō Dōri for this month’s walk, my actual starting point was unexpectedly predetermined. A few days before, I’d gone to see a special performance by local dancer Heidi S. Durning. The nearby bicycle parking lot was full, and an alternative too … [Read more...]
Looking for the Lost on Kyoto’s Higashi-no-toin
In his first Kyoto walk of the new year, Edward J. Taylor takes us from Kyoto Station to the Imperial Palace on the old route of Higashi-no-toin. Outside circumstances dictated the day’s walk, in the form of a lunch meeting at Kyoto Station. Having thus decided on a walk that starts nearby, I pass to the north side of the lumbering building, one much unloved when it was … [Read more...]
