Guest Contributors

Michael Lambe is the main editor and writer of this blog. There are also  several irregular guest contributors.

The IRRegulars

SARA AI COE
Product of a crazy Japanese mother and Kiwi father, Sara moved to Japan in 2009 after leaving her job at a television network in little ol’ New Zealand. Having a serious case of FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out), she juggles 3 jobs, but her main job is being a promoter and booking manager at an independent record label in Osaka. Sara enjoys telling stories and she tells them through photography, audio documentaries and writing. Her guilty pleasures include: procrastinating, wearing socks to bed, Kanye West and drinking copious amounts of coffee.

Read her blog at http://ai-fulog.blogspot.jp/
You can read Sara’s posts for Deep Kyoto here.

JASON BARTASHIUS moved to Kyoto in 2011.  He is a lecturer of Japanese Religions and an English instructor. Jason also manages the volunteer project After School Lessons For Tohoku Children that helps kids affected by the tsunami.   As a writer he works to bring attention to the ongoing issues surrounding the March 11^th disasters.  He has made contributions to Deep Kyoto that focus on Kyoto’s efforts to support Tohoku and evacuees who have relocated to Kyoto.

You can read Jason’s articles here.

Ian Ropke

Ian Ropke is from from Sault Ste Marie, Ontario, Canada. He first came to Kyoto in 1985 and completely fell in love with it. When asked why, he explained, “I love Kyoto for its mystery and elegant old forms of beauty. Living here is like living in a fairytale . . .”. Ian is among other things, author of the Historical Dictionary of Osaka and Kyoto, editor of Kyoto Visitors Guide, and director of Your Japan Private Tours. With his knowledge of traditional and historical Kyoto he has helped to make Deep Kyoto just a little bit deeper.

You can find articles by Ian Ropke here.

John Dougill

Born in Yorkshire, John Dougill first came to  Japan  in 1986 and to Kyoto in 1994. He has taught in several universities but is now happily employed at Kyoto’s Ryukoku University  as professor of British Studies. His fascinating book Kyoto: A Cultural History makes his love for the city clear. In conversation he explained why he has made Kyoto his home: “It’s a city of one and half million people, full of cultural opportunities and historical associations, yet small enough to cycle around. Within 10 minutes I can be walking on a deeply wooded hill or looking at the bird life on the Kamo river”. John is a prolific author and the founder of Oxface Publications. Among his other books are Oxford’s Famous Faces, Oxford: A Literary Guide, Oxford in English Literature ( Univ.  of Michigan Press), and Gentleman and Hooligan: The British in Film 1921-1971 (Ryukoku University Press). He has recently published a book about the Hidden Christians of Kyushu. On Deep Kyoto he has unveiled for us a little bit of the hidden knowledge he has about this great city’s cultural heritage.

You can find articles by John Dougill here.

Poet and translator Keiji Minato was born in the south of Osaka Prefecture, Japan in 1973 and has been living in Kyoto for more than fifteen years. He studies literature in English and writes haiku, senryu, and free verse. In 2004 he published a book of poetry, Garasu no me / Nuno no hifu [Glass Eyes / Cloth Skin]. He is one of the founder members of Japan International Poetry Society and with two friends he runs an experimental poetry website, the Experimental Language Factory. You can read his poetry on his website here. On Deep Kyoto Keiji has introduced us to Kyoto’s classical and contemporary poets and poetry.

You can find articles by Keiji Minato here.

JENNIFER LOUISE  TEETER is a very busy campaigner for peace, justice and the environment who also occasionally contributes to Deep Kyoto. Online she is Campaigns & Media Coordinator for the Greenheart Project, and she also contributes to the Kyoto Journal blog 10,000 Things. She hails from Turtle Island, lists her occupations as “singer, lecturer, translator, and life-long learner” and her passions as “music and contributing to and creating a culture of peace through the arts and dialogue”.

You can find Jen’s articles here.

TED TAYLOR is a writer, translator and yoga teacher from the US. He came to Kyoto in late summer 2005, to study Takeuchi-ryu Sogo Bujutsu, departed for America in 2009, before returning again in the spring of 2012.  He loves Kyoto for its “Good cafes, prevalent music, and lots of green spaces”. Ted is the writer of the blog Notes from the ‘Nog and has published online the only English guide to the Kansai section of the Tōkai Shizen Hodō. He’s a fine writer and we look forward to some fresh contributions to DK in the near future!

You can read Ted’s articles here.