Cities of Green Leaves 青葉の都市 - Ginko no Kukai Last Saturday I joined the Hailstone Haiku Circle's latest ginko no kukai; an international poetry and nature walk being held across the world in solidarity with the city of Sendai. The event was planned to coincide with Sendai's Aoba Matsuri or Green Leaf Festival. This festival with its parade and famous sparrow dance is held … [Read more...] about Yet Another Gorgeous Day in Kyoto
The Artist Brian Williams
Last week I visited the artist Brian Williams at his studio, sat down for a chat and had a sneak preview of his upcoming exhibition at Kiyomizu Temple. Brian is due to have a special one night exhibit of his parabolic paintings this Saturday evening (May 14th) - the first time ever in 1200 years that any art has been exhibited on the famous Kiyomizu balcony. Brian is famous … [Read more...] about The Artist Brian Williams
Kyoto Kanban: Unique Shop Signboards in the Old City
Ian Ropke writes, Japan’s ingenious and eye-catching signboards known as kanban are unique. The earliest examples avoided the use of words, presumably because they couldn't have been read by an illiterate public, and often focused on the shape of the product, or the form of the container in which it was sold. Larger than life carvings of objects such as geta, candles, … [Read more...] about Kyoto Kanban: Unique Shop Signboards in the Old City
The Hojoki
Visions of a Torn World To understand the world of today, hold it up to the world of long ago. - Kamo-no-Chomei The Hojoki The recent tragedy in northern Japan has brought to the forefront of all our minds just how vulnerable these islands are to natural disaster. Here in western Japan, even as we assure our friends and families overseas that we are safe, we know … [Read more...] about The Hojoki
Clearing up the Mountain
Lovely view, isn't it? Sadly, right below where I stood to take this picture there are piles of rubbish that people have illegally tipped down the wooded slopes of Mount Ogura. A lot of the discarded trash is domestic; buckets, bicycles, old refrigerators, motorbikes... But in this case a building company seems to have dumped some unwanted bags of cement. … [Read more...] about Clearing up the Mountain
