If you have been to Bali and you liked it, you will like Wayang Bali. They have really good authentic Balinese dishes and the owner Kadek and his staff are super, super friendly. I cannot recommend this place enough. Here are some dishes Mewby and I have taken a shine to on our frequent visits. Vegetable salad with peanuts sauce; how we love that peanuts sauce! … [Read more...] about Wayang Bali
Kyoto International Manga Museum
I'm a big fan of Kyoto International Manga Museum. Jointly administered by Seika University and the city of Kyoto, it is clear that a lot of consideration went into its layout and design. Here are some things to love about the museum: *They have a massive manga collection you can browse and read at your leisure. And if your Japanese isn't up to scratch, they have Japanese … [Read more...] about Kyoto International Manga Museum
Kubota Rekkou’s Blue Celadon Works @ Robert Yellin’s Gallery
On Wednesday I spent a very pleasant evening at Robert Yellin's ceramics gallery, looking at all beautiful things that he has gathered there and enjoying his fascinating conversation. Robert had invited me up to see his new exhibition; the beautiful blue celadon of Kubota Rekkou. Light, pale and graceful this 青白磁 (seihakuji - or blue-white porcelain) stands in marked contrast … [Read more...] about Kubota Rekkou’s Blue Celadon Works @ Robert Yellin’s Gallery
Ten Days in Tohoku
As regular readers will remember, in early March I spent ten days up in Miyagi prefecture volunteering with IDRO JAPAN. As the charity sale for IDRO approaches, I think it's time I finally sat down and wrote about the work I took part in up there, and put down some thoughts about my experiences. So here goes... The Importance of Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone First off, … [Read more...] about Ten Days in Tohoku
Shinto – Deities, Shrines and Symbols
Ian Ropke writes, Shinto is Japan’s original religion and today it maintains a strong position next to the country’s other main religion: Buddhism. It is interesting to note that nearly all Japanese do not even know what the word Shinto means. The word Shinto comes from the Chinese characters: god and path. Elegantly translated Shinto means The Way of the Gods. Today, if you … [Read more...] about Shinto – Deities, Shrines and Symbols
Furansisko no Ie
Here's a new post from our good friend, John Dougill. Near Shijo Omiya is a small museum called Furansisko no Ie. From the outside it’s unremarkable; inside is a small exhibition room with items from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. They represent the time when Christianity first arrived in Japan, before falling into disfavour and being banned. What marks the … [Read more...] about Furansisko no Ie
Namaste Taj Mahal in Fushimi
The quest for good Indian curry continues! Namaste Taj Mahal in Fushimi is certainly a contender; lovely creamy curries, giant naan breads, super friendly staff and some of the tastiest samosas I have ever devoured. And devour them I did. I'm not kidding about those samosas. You might think, "Oh come on! It's just a bit of pastry with potato, onion and peas in it." … [Read more...] about Namaste Taj Mahal in Fushimi
Kyoto as depicted in “Haifu-Yanagidaru”
Here’s this month’s poetry post from our friend, poet and translator, Keiji Minato. This will be the last post on Deep Kyoto this year. Happy holidays and see you all safely in 2012! Haifu-Yanagidaru (『誹風柳多留』; 1765-1840) is a collection of maeku-dsuke (前句付), which are now commonly called ko-senryu (古川柳; old senryu). It is not one book but a series of 165 volumes … [Read more...] about Kyoto as depicted in “Haifu-Yanagidaru”
Cafe & Gallery Rokujian
I had a bit of free time this afternoon, so I popped over to see the exhibition at Cafe Rokujian of photographs and paintings by our friends John Einarsen and Tiery Le. The cafe forms part of the Kampo Cultural Center, which as I understand it, opened up last month. The center consists of three parts, the cafe, a small gallery space, and a learning center where you can take … [Read more...] about Cafe & Gallery Rokujian
An Interview with Rob Mangold, the Founder of IDRO JAPAN
I arrived in Ishinomaki about 1pm yesterday. A lot has changed in the last two months. The city seems to be very busy, the area around the train station still has a lot of shuttered shops, but energy is high. Only a couple of quick stops before heading out to the peninsula. On the 21st of this month a temporary store opened on the Ogatsu peninsula. The first time people have … [Read more...] about An Interview with Rob Mangold, the Founder of IDRO JAPAN
The Stone Garden at Ryoanji
The vacant space of the garden, like silence, absorbs the mind, frees it of petty detail, and serves as a visual guide -a means for penetrating through the "realm of the multitudes." --- from "Stone Garden" by Will Petersen. My friend Chris Carver, recently lent me a copy of Jack Kerouac's The Dharma Bums and fairly early on in the book I found something, or rather … [Read more...] about The Stone Garden at Ryoanji
