This is the house of Kawai Kanjiro, a legendary potter and a key figure in the mingei or Japanese folk art movement. His beautiful wooden townhouse has been preserved as a memorial run by his family. The building itself and the garden are wonderful, but you can also see here many of his works: ceramics, sculptures, and woodcarvings. His kilns are preserved at the back of the … [Read more...]
A Trip into the Past at Meiji Mura
In 2011 McKinsey & Company commisioned 80 writers and thinkers to contribute to an anthology rather grandly titled Reimagining Japan: The Quest for a Future that Works. I bought my own copy after browsing through it at Kansai Aiport and reading Alex Kerr's piece "Japan after People". His contribution was a wry form of dystopian projection that took various current trends, … [Read more...]
Illuminated Autumn Leaves at Daigo-ji Temple
The ancient temple of Daigo-ji in the Fushimi ward of Kyoto, is currently opening at night to show off it's illuminated autumn colours. Though the leaves hadn't quite reached their peak when we visited at the weekend, they weren't far off and we were glad to get there before it got too crowded. Here are some pictures from our visit. … [Read more...]
Trattoria Dougetsu by the Ocean
Mewby's birthday was a couple of weeks back and to celebrate I took her to Trattoria 道月 by the Ocean. Though the name is a bit unwieldy, the restaurant itself is very welcoming and friendly, and the food was superb. This is the outside of the building which as you can see is a lovely old (but fully renovated!) machiya townhouse. You can't beat a bit of machiya dining when in … [Read more...]
Kyoto Gion Udon Museum
Out walking by the Kamo river one day, we encountered a happy bowl-headed mascot (pictured below) hopping about on Shijo Bridge. We took the obligatory 360 degree picture together and received in return two drinks coupons for the Udon Museum. What more of an incentive do you need to explore the magical world of thick Japanese wheat flour noodles? Our curiosity piqued, we duly … [Read more...]
Strolling down Kyoto’s Nishiki Food Market
Nishiki Market is an essential sight-seeing spot for food lovers visiting Kyoto. This 400 year-old market extends for 400 meters between Teramachi and Takakura and has the reputation of being a place where you can find anything! Almost everything here is locally produced and reasonably priced. Filled with all kinds of colorful sights, unusual smells and the cries of the market … [Read more...]
Hiking & Haiku on the Uminobe-no-Michi Trail
For the last 3 years or so I have been joining the Hailstone Haiku Circle on their annual autumn hike. Always good outings, in previous years we have gone further afield to Mount Daisen in Tottori, and Tateyama in Toyama, but this year's hike was closer to home： along the Lakeside Way (湖ノ辺の道 Uminobe-no-michi), in Northern Shiga. These are haiku composition hikes, so we take … [Read more...]
Volunteering in Kameoka
Last weekend I joined Rob Mangold and his IDRO crew on a relief trip to Kameoka, which was hit hard by the last typhoon to sweep through Kansai. After linking up with some regular volunteers at Kameoka's Volunteer Center, we drove out into golden fields where a landslide caused by heavy rain had filled up the drainage ditches. Our job was to dig them out. Here are some pictures … [Read more...]
Exploring Kyoto with the Ricoh Theta
Click on the images displayed below to view them in fully immersive 360 degrees. Having played with my little Ricoh Theta camera for about a week now, I think it's time for a wee review with some example shots to give you an idea of it's potential. First though a few words on how it works. The camera has a double fish-eye lens that takes a simultaneous 360 degree shot of … [Read more...]
Flood Relief in Arashiyama
Yesterday, I had planned to spend the day running round Kyoto's most iconic sites, taking immersive 360 degree images with my new Ricoh Theta camera... However, inspired by Tito's flood relief poetry, and Rob Mangold's posts on Facebook I decided to join them and Joel Stewart for a spot of volunteering in Arashiyama. I was encouraged by the community spirit there that inspired … [Read more...]
Climbing Mount Daimonji with Robert Yellin & the Ricoh Theta
When you write a blog, and a reasonable number of people follow it, sometimes you get stuff for free. Probably this is the best thing I ever got for free: Pretty, isn't it? This is the RICOH THETA - the first camera that can take 360 degree panoramic images in one shot. And as it isn't on sale yet, I'm the very first person in Kyoto who gets to give it a go! Soon after it … [Read more...]
