deep kyoto
good places - good people
-
3 Comments
Last week Mewby discovered this wonderful Japanese blog: せっかく京都に住んでるし. It’s worth a look. There are hundreds of Kyoto cafes, bakeries and sweet shops listed there and plenty of pictures, so even if your Japanese isn’t up to scratch, you can still make some nice new discoveries. Our nice new discovery was Citron Salé.
-
No Comments
Whether you are worn out after a stressful day at work, or from trawling round temples, or from working out at the gym, or whatever - nothing beats a good soak in the tub for physical and mental repose. And if you go to a public bath like a Japanese sento or onsen, the negative ions there will boost your mood and relax you much more than would a private bath. Two years ago I wrote about the pleasures of popular public bath, Funaoka Onsen, but now that I live in a more central location I have been going elsewhere for my bathing needs: 五香湯. Read the rest of this entry » -
1 Comment
Ted put me on to this wonderful article by Willard Spiegelman on his experiences upon visiting Japan: Gained in Translation. I was reading it this evening after work, when I came upon this short passage:
…bagels, sometimes spelled “bagles,” are a staple, but I stopped short of trying the soymilk and edamame combo, or the green tea and white chocolate one, that I found at “Bagels and Bagels” [sic] in the food exposition of one major department store.
Now, being a contrary type, this immediately inspired me to go out there, buy those very bagels and dare to do what Mr. Spiegelman did not. Read the rest of this entry »
-
4 Comments
Here are some up-and-coming events that have caught my eye lately:
6/20 (sat) 6~9 pm Feeling lonely? Get out! Mingle! And feel the internationalization! Why Not Japan are hosting an International Sushi Party at the Gael in Gion. All-you-can-drink plus sushi for ￥3,000 or ￥2,500 if you are a member. Further details, directions and pictures here.
6/21 (sun) 7:30~10 pm Sing Around The Table in Gnome Irish Pub.
Hosted by Felicity Greenland & Tomoko Saito, this is a very enjoyable and COMPLETELY FREE (!) folk song workshop & performance. Gnome information and directions here. Video of previous performance here. More information and previews on Felicity’s blog here.6/22 (mon) Osaka psychedelic rock band Soul Flower Union & their guests The Gojukaitenz will be playing at TakuTaku. Doors open 6pm Show starts 6:30. ￥4,200. Schedule here. TakuTaku information and directions here. Soul Flower live performance video on youtube here.
More art and music after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »
-
No Comments
Old, quiet memories in a wild, new world
The Takasegawa Canal
Ian Ropke writes…
This month, if you have the time, consider strolling down the Takegawa Canal along the lively, yet always interesting, world of Kiyamachi and Pontocho. Though the Takasegawa is called a river in Japanese, it is actually a canal, built with thousands of laborers. This is quite amazing, when you consider that the canal runs from Nijo all the way down to the Yodo River in Fushimi/Chushojima, a distance of some 15 kilometers. The water in the river was siphoned off from the Kamogawa River, and the canal ran parallel to the river until Jujo Street, at which point it crossed the river and continued in a southeasterly direction until it merged with the Ujigawa River.The giant Takasegawa Canal was the brilliant idea of one man: Suminokura Ryoi (1554-1614), a prominent 16th/17th-century Kyoto merchant and overseas trader, who was responsible for a number of visionary projects in Kyoto. A colorful figure of great confidence, Suminokura boldly proposed and funded the construction of the canal, which had a huge impact on Kyoto commerce and also greatly facilitated his own business activities. He was born in Kyoto, to a family of physicians and money lenders. In the 1590s, he obtained an official license to engage in overseas trade from Toyotomi Hideyoshi and quickly built up a fortune trading with Annam and Tonkin (both located in present-day Vietnam). Read the rest of this entry »
-
1 Comment
Since moving to a more central location last March, efish has become my favorite place to hang out. The location is wonderful. On one side window seats give prime views over the Kamo River. On the other side you have a more intimate perspective on the tree-lined Takasegawa Canal. When the weather is good, they open up the windows and a fresh breeze washes over you as you sip your coffee.
efish is a cafe, gallery, and shop and is owned by designer Shin Nishibori. His products (kitchenware, furniture, electronics etc) are on sale here and are prominently displayed about the premises. There’s an online shop here.
-
No Comments
Artist extraordinaire Daniel Rosen has passed word down from Tokyo about a major event taking place in Kansai this weekend. Resonance 2 is the long awaited sequel to Resonance 1, held in the wake of the 20th anniversary of Kodo’s world renowned Earth Celebration. In Daniel’s own words:
In the summer of 2007, musician Kaoru Watanabe assembled an eclectic and electrifying cast of artists to realize Resonance, a multimedia celebration of sight and sound that completely transformed SuperDeluxe, Tokyo’s premiere avant-garde arts venue. A former player and artistic director for Japan’s most revered taiko group, Kodo, Watanabe is no stranger to coalescent work, and Resonance was a tribute to his keen sense of collaboration. Under Kaoru’s artistic direction, tap dance wizard Tamango captivated the audience with his broad range of expression; vocalist Mio Matsuda stole the hearts of everyone present with her angelic voice; avant-garde cellist Hiromichi Sakamoto displayed a unique blend of rhythm and ruckus; and calligrapher Koji Kakinuma painted with frenzied passion. Framing this unlikely soundscape was an ethereal stage set designed by visual artist D.H. Rosen, whose floating porcelain tiles rang like resonant bells when kicked or prodded, and shattered into a collage of crumbs under the fiery feet of Tamango. Well over 200 people filed into this intimate art space to witness the magic of a truly once-in-a-lifetime show, and the vibrations from Resonance continue to ripple across the Tokyo art scene to this day. Two years later, Watanabe has reassembled many of the original Resonance cast members and called upon some new friends to create Resonance II: ‘Echology,’ a further exploration of the synergistic crosscultural possibilities that made the first Resonance such a success. Read the rest of this entry »
-
Last weekend’s traditional music workshop at Gnome was a great success and so it looks like there will be many more in the future. Felicity Greenland writes:Japanese and foreigners all singing together in a cool atmosphere… It’s hard to explain without sounding crass, but really, it’s a very special bonding thing to sing together - everyone has had hard times with themselves and each other, but when you sing together all that really does melt away. Plus, there were a few people who came who are really studying hard at English, or guitar, fiddle or bodhran playing, and want to have a chance to make their studies real. This kind of event really works for them - some of them might play with us in the future and so their efforts have now become very real for them. Let’s do more - please come and tell your mates about it even if you can’t come yourself. Kyoto is the origin and hub of Irish music in Japan - with your energetic contribution it could also become the origin and hub of the English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh singalong too! LINK
Keep your eyes either here on D. K. or on the Gnome Live Schedule page for the next event. In the meantime there’s a video of a nice Gaelic song, Siúil a Rúin, after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »No CommentsNo CommentsTadg of Mc Loughlin’s writes:
Dear Friends,
If you can read this you have survived the Piggy Plague and to celebrate this momentous occasion we have washed, disinfected and bleached the Fab “Wildcards” and after severe water boarding they have agreed it is not torture and will gladly play this Friday night @ McLoughlins from around 9pm.
Picture Courtesy of Shiffi Le Soy http://islandsofecstasy.blogspot.com
To further add to the Celebration We still have the great Rogue Craft Ales at the CRAZY price of ￥500 This is the last time this beer will be sold at this CRAZY price. We also have 10 great beers on tap! Check out our specials on our new menu!
Be Healthy!Thanks Tadg! Now I haven’t yet seen The Wild Cards play myself, but there is a good review of these “Franco-American-Canadian-Japanese alt.country outlaws” and one of their past performances up on Shiffi Le Soy’s blog Islands of Ecstasy so that should give you some flavor. Please note that the Wild Cards are performing this Friday night (that’s tomorrow!). Tadg is also pretty keen to let us know about his new “new super reasonable and ultra healthy” Vegan/Veggie orientated menu which you can see… after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »
1 CommentTed Taylor put me on to this event at Irish pub Gnome this weekend:
Singing Around the Table: A fun evening of Traditional Songs of Ireland and Britain with Felicity Greenland & Tomoko Saito.
Date: Sunday, May 31, 2009
Time: 7:30pm - 9:30pm
Song sheet available.
No Charge.
Listenable previews here.
Telephone: 0752122101
Location: Irish Pub Gnome (see map)I wanted a wee bit more information though. So I asked Felicity, “Could I have a wee bit more information please?” And she said:
