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 1000 (+ another 500 for a drink) and let's … [Read more...]
Takeuchi Seihō – Japan’s most important modern Japanese-style painter
Takeuchi Seihō (竹内 栖鳳 - his real name was Takeuchi Tsunekichi) lived from December 20, 1864 - August 23, 1942. He was an early master of nihonga art, and prior to World War II led a notable circle of painters in Kyoto. His former residence in Higashiyama still stands as The Sodoh - now a restaurant and event space. Some affiliate links are included in this article. To order … [Read more...]
Autumn Antiquarian Book Fair 2013
Kyoto's annual Autumn Antiquarian Book Fair starts Thursday at Chion-ji Temple just a stone's throw away from the Hyakumanben intersection. Though the majority of the books available (about 200,000 in all) are Japanese, there are always some English books available, as well as art books and ukiyo-e prints etc. The grounds of the temple are also a very peaceful and pleasant … [Read more...]
Japanese Film Screenings with English Subtitles at KICH
Kyoto International Community House has a series of FREE Japanese film screenings with English subtitles now ongoing. This would be a wonderful opportunity for movie fans if it weren't for the awkward scheduling during weekday office hours. Why not an evening or weekend showing? Well, if you are free at these times, then these are the films up-coming: … [Read more...]
100 Thousand Poets for Change / JIPS Poetry Reading @ Heartpia Kyoto 9/28
Do you want to join other poets, musicians, artists, mimes, dancers, photographers, performing artists, around the USA and across the planet in a demonstration/celebration of poetry to promote serious social, environmental, and political change? September 28th is the global 100 Thousand Poets for Change Day, 2013! I posted this once on Facebook back in June, but here is a … [Read more...]
Kyoto Antiquarian Book Fair
We spent a very pleasant afternoon yesterday searching for bargains at the used book fair near Demachiyanagi. The books are largely Japanese of course, but there are some English books in there, plus many art books and Ukiyo-e prints etc. I actually found a huge treasure trove of English Literature all selling at very reasonable prices, and had to restrain myself from buying … [Read more...]
Kyoto Tanabata Festival
Last weekend Mewby and I visited some of the Tanabata festival events now ongoing along the Horikawa and the Kamogawa rivers. Tanabata is the annual star festival celebrating "the meeting of the deities Orihime and Hikoboshi (represented by the stars Vega and Altair respectively)" (see more on Wikipedia!). The festival is celebrated on July 7th according to the modern calendar, … [Read more...]
Sailing Without the Wind: A Performance by Peter Golightly & Bruno the Bad Boy
Billed as a "evening of music, dance and life", this show looks to be amazing and it bears a very important message... Peter Golightly has kindly written to tell us more about it: "I'm a long time Kyoto resident and I've been doing the dance singing theater thing for better than 30 years here. Bruno has been around for about 18 years. He's a performance artist who … [Read more...]
Joel Stewart, John Kuzel & Jon Levy – An Acoustic Night at Tadg’s
This looks to be a lovely evening and one I'm very much looking forward to. On Thursday this week (May 30th) local musicians Joel Stewart, & John Kuzel will team up with singer/songwriter Jon Levy for a night of classic and original tunes. And the cover charge is only 500 yen for a night of purely acoustic music from three very talented men. Time: 19:30 ~ 22:30 Venue: … [Read more...]
Craft Beer Festival Kyoto 2013 地ビール祭京都 2013
When? This Saturday May 11th from 2:00 pm to 8:00 pm Location: Sanjo Association Shopping Arcade "This year's festival will once again take place along the Sanjo Association Shopping Arcade, but this time from one end all the way to other, making this the longest craft beer venue in Japan, stretching some 800 meters. Shops along the arcade will serve food, while craft … [Read more...]
Tomáš Mach at Papa Jon’s Eatery – Friday May 10th
Strictly speaking, I'm still too busy to be posting stuff here, but have decided to pop out of hibernation briefly to tell you all about this upcoming event at Papa Jon's Eatery. It's too important not to. Among the musical acts at last year's TEDxKyoto the stand out performance came from violinist Tomáš Mach. And the short speech he gave before playing (unfortunately not … [Read more...]
Kyoto Marathon Fundraiser for Fukushima Kids
The second anniversary of the 3/11 disaster is coming up, and many people will be considering how best to observe the occasion. On March 10th Russell Trott will run the Kyoto Marathon to raise funds for Fukushima kids. All monies raised will go towards a camp near Kyoto organized by Go! Go! Waku Waku. There the kids will be able to escape the worst affected areas of Fukushima … [Read more...]
Anti-Nuclear Rally, Maruyama Park, Kyoto – Saturday March 9th 2013
The only Japanese nuclear power station to have been restarted since the nuclear disaster of March 2011 is the one at Oi in Fukui, just 60km from Kyoto and only 30km from our drinking water supply, Lake Biwa. (Stephen Gill) There will be a big anti-nuclear rally at Maruyama Park this Saturday (March 9th). As usual with these events it looks very much like it will have a … [Read more...]
Kyoto Craft Beer Festa – Saturday March 2nd in Zest
From the Japan Beer Times' Facebook page (via Robert Yellin): This Saturday, 11am-6pm, Kyoto kicks off its bi-annual craft beer festival in the Zest underground shopping arcade. The mini festival features all four Kyoto craft breweries and a few guests from the region (Minoh, Zig-Zag), as well as local food vendors, live music, and the Japan Beer Times (hawking our shirts, … [Read more...]
