Introducing Ian Ropke

This month I am very excited to welcome a new guest blogger to Deep Kyoto: Mr. Ian Ropke. Ian Ropke has lived in the Kansai area for over 20 years and 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. I am very grateful to him for taking time out from his busy schedule to contribute to this website and hopefully with his knowledge of traditional and historical Kyoto making Deep Kyoto just a little deeper. I will post Ian’s first blog post on Sunday, another on the Tuesday and thereafter every month on the 15th. Here’s a short message from Ian to all the regular Deep Kyoto readers:

Kyoto is without a doubt the crown jewel in what I would argue is the most exotic country on earth. When in Kyoto, I highly recommend getting lost with intention and following your instincts away from the obvious and the modern and the severely ugly . . . What you will discover on any one journey of getting lost or following your bliss is anyone’s guess but rest assured it will be interesting, surprising and quite often unforgettable . . .

Next post: The Enchanted City by Ian Ropke.