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
