Two of the most rewarding activities I have been involved in during my time in Kyoto, are the events organized by the Hailstone Haiku Circle, and the conservation activities of People Together for Mt. Ogura (PTO). Stephen Gill is a primary organizer of both organizations, and so some of their activites tend to merge. So it was that on October 26th Mewby and I took part in a … [Read more...]
Autumn Poetry Reading from Kyoto Journal at Be-Kyoto; November 16th
Here's an up-coming event hosted by the good folks at Kyoto Journal. An Autumn Reading Sunday November 16th. 2pm~3:45pm at Be-Kyoto (http://www.be-kyoto.jp/) Entry: ¥500 RSVP: feedback[at]kyotojournal.org Be-Kyoto is just west and north of the Imadegawa/Karasuma intersection. About the Poets MARGARET (MAGGIE) CHULA has been writing and teaching haiku, tanka, … [Read more...]
Pictures from Sanka’s Autumn Ritual by Ensō Watt
I am now officially a fan of Ensō Watt! Last Friday's performance was excellent and I enjoyed every minute of it. With musicians posted in various corners of Urbanguild, and Yannick Paget both conducting and performing with hypnotic percussion from the center, we were fully immersed in a landscape of sound. Simultaneously the live video art of Andy Couzens and Masato Tokumaru … [Read more...]
Sanka’s Autumn Ritual by Ensō Watt – Mixed Media Experimental Event @ UrbanGuild; October 10th
Well, this looks like something... ensō Watt Sanka's Autmn Ritual from PollenRec on Vimeo. Thanks to Marguerite Paget for sending the following information: Kyoto Experiment Fringe program 2014 presents the artist collective: Ensō Watt at UrbanGuild from 7.30 pm, October 10th Initiated in 2014 by the sound designer Samuel André, the Ensō Watt artist collective … [Read more...]
Honke Owariya with Sean Lotman
On Sunday Mewby and I had the pleasure of lunch with writer/photographer Sean Lotman. Sean's wife manages the Honke Owariya soba noodle business, a family company which is pretty famous in Kyoto. The business actually dates from 1465, though they "only" started making noodles Sean told me about 300 or 400 years ago, as they were originally a confectionary business. They still … [Read more...]
Blue Sky – An Excerpt from Deep Kyoto Walks
Today I am posting another in a series of short excerpts from our ebook Deep Kyoto: Walks. In Blue Sky, the poet Stephen Henry Gill acts as a guide to the Saga & Arashiyama area for a young visitor who has come to learn more about the conservation NPO, People Together for Mt. Ogura. Stephen whimsically names his visitor Blue Sky, because that was the first thing he saw that … [Read more...]
ECHOES: Painting & Poetry Exhibition at KICH – February 25 ~ March 2
ECHOES is an upcoming poetry and art exhibition organized by the Hailstone Haiku Circle, and featuring the conservation efforts of PTO (People Together for Mt. Ogura). Click on the flyer below for details! H a i g a c o l l a b o r a t i o n Hailstone Haiku Circle is an international group founded in 2000 by Stephen Gill and centred on Kyoto. Its main activity is to … [Read more...]
Meltdown – An Anthology of Haiku, Z – A
MELTDOWN メルトダウン (2013) An Anthology of Haiku, Z to A. ISBN: 978-4-9900822-5-3 Edited by Stephen Henry Gill Includes almost 500 haiku and a short 4-part seasonal renku cycle over 228 pages. Cover by Richard Steiner. Price:￥1,500; airmail $20, incl. p&p Dimensions: 19 x 13 cm. Covers feature a tactile matt paper finish. How to order: details are at the Hailstone Haiku … [Read more...]
Highlights from the Bob Dylan & Allen Ginsberg Poetry & Song Celebration at Tadg’s Bar Kyoto
Friday night's Bob Dylan & Allen Ginsberg celebration at Tadg's was a whole lot of fun. High praise to all the performers and musicians who took part and to our hard-working hosts Tadg & Mika McLoughlin. Apologies also to Mika for trying to pay the same bill multiple times. I must be more careful when supping craft beers... Here below are some video highlights I managed … [Read more...]
Zuishin-in ~ A Refuge in Ono
As I posted a piece on the autumn leaves at Daigo-ji last week, I thought I might post some pictures I took earlier this year at the nearby Zuishin-in. These pictures were taken in June; the season for irises and azaleas. I think this temple would be good to visit in any season though. It has a very special atmosphere. You can see a slideshow of the gardens through the seasons … [Read more...]
