Deep Kyoto

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...]

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...]

In our final post of 2018, Edward J. Taylor completes his walk on Sanjo in the company of friend Max Dodds. Together they contemplate the shared memories of our collective history and wonder how the present will be remembered in times to come. The first part of this walk can be read here. As we carry on up Sanjō, I recognize Max’s point that most of the road west of … [Read more...]

This month Edward J. Taylor walks Sanjo; one of Kyoto's best known streets, and finds so much to talk about that we have to post it in two installments! The second installment will follow in a few days time. Until now I’ve shied away from walking Kyoto’s major boulevards, mainly because they’ve been built and rebuilt so many times that, like with someone who wears too … [Read more...]

This month our friend, Edward J. Taylor, continues his exploration of Kyoto's modern and historical streets with a walk along Ainomachi. “Do you Kyoto?” is a slogan seen frequently throughout the city, one puzzling both to its residents, who may not grasp the English, and its foreign guests, who are not quite sure of the vague sentiment. It becomes a point of derision to … [Read more...]