This is the first of two pieces on Tango, the northern seacoast of Kyoto prefecture. In this post: a summer trip to Kotobikihama and fireworks in Amanohashidate. Tango in the north of Kyoto Prefecture is recently being marketed as "Kyoto by the Sea", and certainly there is a lot to recommend a trip up there besides the well known scenic beauty of Amanohashidate … [Read more...] about Kyoto by the Sea Part #1: Kotobikihama & Amanohashidate
Days Out of Town
A Trip to Inuyama
Here are some pictures from Inuyama in Aichi prefecture, which we visited last month. Inuyama Castle is supposed to be the oldest castle in Japan: the original fort was built in 1440, and the current structure was completed in 1537. However as you can see from the scaffolding in the picture above, it still needs a bit of maintenance from time to time. Despite the metal … [Read more...] about A Trip to Inuyama
A Trip into the Past at Meiji Mura
In 2011 McKinsey & Company commissioned 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...] about A Trip into the Past at Meiji Mura
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...] about Hiking & Haiku on the Uminobe-no-Michi Trail
Hiking Along the Old Hozu River Towpath
Last Saturday I joined Stephen Gill and Okiharu Maeda of the conservation group P.T.O. for a hike along the Hozu River. The hike wasn't purely for the pleasure of getting out into the fresh country air though, Maeda-san and Mr. Gill were making a detailed report, with photographs of the exact location of trees on Mount Ogura that have been affected by a deadly oak disease. Even … [Read more...] about Hiking Along the Old Hozu River Towpath
The Miho Museum
If you fancy a day out of Kyoto and a bit of fresh country air, a trip into Shiga to visit the Miho Museum might be a nice little adventure for you. This is a most extraordinary private art collection, held in a most extraordinary building, and in an extraordinary location! The building itself is remarkable, designed by I. M. Pei (he's the guy that designed the glass pyramid … [Read more...] about The Miho Museum
