Here is the latest installment from Edward J. Taylor's ongoing exploration of Kyoto’s streets. Back in my piece about the Gion Festival, I mentioned that I was intending to revisit Shinmachi, due to its old-timey shopping arcade that I often patronized during the three years when I lived close-by. Had I reread my own words, I would have forgone starting the walk at its … [Read more...]

Here is the latest installment from Edward J. Taylor's ongoing exploration of Kyoto’s streets. A funny thing, serendipity. It’s as if life is springing a pop quiz, to see how well you’re paying attention. I was watching a new box set containing Akio Jissoji’s controversial Buddhist Trilogy, which included as a bonus his beautiful period film, It was a Faint Dream. The … [Read more...]

Here is the latest installment from Edward J. Taylor's ongoing exploration of Kyoto’s streets. The Okuribi fires have cooled, the ancestors have departed, the aubergine and the cucumbers have been eaten. August is the month of ghosts, and Kyoto in particular feels thick with them, due both to the city’s long and oft-violent history and its heavy, muggy summer air. It … [Read more...]

Here is the latest installment from Edward J. Taylor's ongoing exploration of Kyoto’s streets. The air rings with the chimey clang of the ubiquitous ‘theme song’ for the Gion festival, supplanting the rains that had taken center stage for the previous six weeks. At least, that’s how it usually works. Rainy season this year continues to linger, and a peek at the weather … [Read more...]

Here is the latest installment from Edward J. Taylor's ongoing exploration of Kyoto’s streets. The weather over the weekend had proven a surprise, with the blemish-free bluebird skies of May bringing with it temperatures of 29°C. (It’s going to be a hot summer.) So I decided to set off early, which isn't terribly ideal as things in Kyoto don't begin to open until 10 am. … [Read more...]

Here is the latest installment from Edward J. Taylor's ongoing exploration of Kyoto’s streets. History is written by the victors. A well-known expression of course, but I’d go one step further and say that history is also rewritten by the victors. (Quotes too are attributed to victors, but nowhere is there evidence that Winston Churchill actually said this.) Likewise, … [Read more...]

Here is the latest installment from Edward J. Taylor's ongoing exploration of Kyoto's streets. Prior to setting off on these walks, I sit awhile with a Kyoto map before me, reading the street names and choosing those that are most familiar, or ones that resonate somehow. For today I chose a street that will take me from the heart of the city nearly to my doorstep. It … [Read more...]

Here's this month's walk with Edward J. Taylor on the historic street of Rokkaku-dō Dōri. Though I’d already decided on Rokkaku-dō Dōri for this month’s walk, my actual starting point was unexpectedly predetermined. A few days before, I’d gone to see a special performance by local dancer Heidi S. Durning. The nearby bicycle parking lot was full, and an alternative too … [Read more...]