This will be the last post for the year as I am going home to the UK for Christmas and will be offline for an ENTIRE WEEK! Before I hand you over to John Dougill for the final word, let me wish you all a very merry Christmas and best wishes for the New Year. Now, over to John! John Dougill writes... The true soul of Japan is neither Shinto nor Buddhist. It’s … [Read more...] about A Kyoto New Year
Culture & Tradition
A Kyoto Christmas
John Dougill writes... Christmas in Japan comes with a difference. “Romantic Christmas Eve” means all the restaurants and love hotels are booked out: woe betide the man who doesn’t buy his loved one an expensive present. Yet the next morning everyone has to tramp off to work, for Christmas Day is no holiday. The birth of the emperor (December 23) takes precedence over the … [Read more...] about A Kyoto Christmas
Autumn Colours at Kinkakuji & Ryoanji
Yesterday Mewby and I braved the autumn weather to see the autumn leaves at Kinkakuji and Ryoanji. The Golden Pavilion at Kinkakuji and the rock garden at Ryoanji are two of Kyoto's most iconic sites and worth a visit any time of year. Right now though the autumn leaves make it just magical! Ryoanji's gorgeous gardens are a twenty minute stroll away from Kinkakuji if you … [Read more...] about Autumn Colours at Kinkakuji & Ryoanji
Kirishitan Kyoto
John Dougill writes... In the heart of Kyoto there once stood a Southern Barbarian Temple (Nanban-ji). It was located not far from Rokkaku-do, the city’s belly button. The three-storey structure was built in 1576 and was an exotic addition to a city in the midst of revitalisation. For a while it was the height of fashion for the city’s leading figures to go visit the … [Read more...] about Kirishitan Kyoto
Rokudo-Mairi & The Haunted Candy Shop
"The Japanese say that the heat of summer is the best time for ghost stories, as the little tingle they give you helps to fight the heat," writes Jeffrey Angles in his fascinating blog International Date Line. He goes on... In fact, during the Edo Period (1600-1868), there was a summertime pastime known as “One Hundred Tales” (百物語). In it, a group of friends would light a … [Read more...] about Rokudo-Mairi & The Haunted Candy Shop
Ryokan Pleasures & Possibilities
The Exotic World of the Japanese Inn Ian Ropke writes… At the beginning of the 20th century in Japan and Europe and elsewhere, there was a class of people, often men, who spent great portions of their life living in inns and hotels. Yasunari Kawabata, the first Japanese to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, was one of the last people to live in ryokan in what could only be … [Read more...] about Ryokan Pleasures & Possibilities
Saiundo Traditional Art Supply Shop
Today's post from Ian Ropke is a continuation of yesterday's post on Nihonga... The classic Japanese artist’s best friend For well over one hundred years, Saiun-do has been supplying artists with quality Nihonga pigments and brushes. The business has an illustrious history. The famous painter Tomioka Tessai (1836-1924), just one of Saiundo’s illustrious clients, recommended … [Read more...] about Saiundo Traditional Art Supply Shop
Nihonga – The History of Traditional Japanese Painting
Ian Ropke writes... The history of traditional Japanese painting The history of Nihonga, the traditional Japanese manner of painting, can be traced back to the beginning of the Heian period. A manuscript from 999 mentions a style of painting called Yamato-e (Yamato was the old name of Japan). When exactly this new school of painting originated is not known, but it is … [Read more...] about Nihonga – The History of Traditional Japanese Painting
Takigi Noh (Noh by Firelight)
John Dougill writes… For many people Noh is a turn-off. The plays have no conflict, no humour and no facial expression. Actors move at a snail’s pace, the language is arcane and the music archaic. To its detractors it’s simply an outmoded relic of medieval times. Noh way, Noh thank you. There are regular performances in Kyoto, and if you attend you’ll find a good number … [Read more...] about Takigi Noh (Noh by Firelight)
Ikkyū
Ian Ropke writes... Ikkyū was a Zen monk who was famous for burning the candle of life at both ends. By day, he was devout and extremely accomplished monk and scholar. By night, he reveled in the so-called “floating world” of drink and women. He lived in tumultuous 15th century Japan at a time when most of the country was ruined by civil war. Ikkyū was born the … [Read more...] about Ikkyū
Geisha Dance: Kamogawa Odori
John Dougill writes... Charlie Chaplin loved it, and so have thousands of others. The Kamogawa Odori is simply irresistible and a rare chance to see geisha perform in public. It helps make May the merriest month of the year. Kyoto has five geisha areas in all, popularly known as 'hanamachi' or flower districts. Gion is the biggest and best-known; Pontocho which stages … [Read more...] about Geisha Dance: Kamogawa Odori
