This month we have two extracts from Deep Kyoto: Walks. Both are from my own piece on a musical tour of Kiyamachi bars conducted by my good friends Mark (Max) Dodds and Ryotaro Sudo in late November last year. On Saturday November 29th 2014 Max and Ryotaro will again perform this tour for the tenth and final time, so a couple of short excerpts from my account seemed timely. In … [Read more...] about Up & Down the Ki’ – Two Extracts from Deep Kyoto: Walks by Michael Lambe
Music
Brilliant Irish Music on a Rainy Day at Eiun-in
It was a cold wet day in Kyoto yesterday, but if you look hard enough you can always find some brightness, whether in a friendly smile or happy tune. Mewby and I braved the weather to attend a wonderful show at Eiun-in, a lovely little sub-temple deep in Kurodani. As we arrived the rain stopped and we could enjoy the scent of fresh autumnal air coming in off the garden. Irish … [Read more...] about Brilliant Irish Music on a Rainy Day at Eiun-in
Jazz Band Fujiya Mountain @ 和音堂
Walking up the Kamo river one day, we saw a lively jazz band playing under the Sanjo bridge that were so good we decided cross over and have a look. They were young, fun and funky, so we picked up a flyer for their next gig, which happened to be on the following day. The location 和音堂 (WA・ON・DO) was convenient and the price was only 1,000 yen (+ another 500 yen for a … [Read more...] about Jazz Band Fujiya Mountain @ 和音堂
The Legend of UrBANGUILD
Let me tell you a story, about a place called UrBANGUILD... It's a kind of fairytale, but that doesn't mean it isn't true. And it all began in another place. A place that I like to call cafe underpants. Once upon a time there was an honest carpenter named Jiro. One day, Jiro was hired by a man of property to design and build a cafe. Jiro was a very fine carpenter and … [Read more...] about The Legend of UrBANGUILD