Literature Archives - Deep Kyoto

Deep Kyoto Walks Used for University English Reading Course

September 5, 2022 By Michael Lambe

I was delighted (and somewhat stunned) lately to learn that our book, Deep Kyoto: Walks, is being used as the basis of a university course here in Kyoto. The course at Kyoto Prefectural University is taught by Dr. Eleanor Yamaguchi and is called “欧米から見た京都”, or “Kyoto viewed from the West”. Eleanor, who has used supplemental materials on the course, such as our Deep Kyoto: Walks videos, writes, “I couldn’t think of a better book to read.”

Kyoto botanical gardens — *Eleanor’s class wandering through Kyoto Botanical Gardens*

She continues,

“It’s been an excellent book for the course. The students were worried at first that they might not be able to read it, but with the extra materials like the YouTube videos and then looking at the websites of the different temples and shrines that get mentioned, they found that they could really get into the text. They learned a lot about Kyoto and about the international residents that live here, so it was perfect! We read through a couple of chapters each week and picked up on some of the English phrases and the content of each chapter… Some of the students and myself followed some of the routes in the book and I got them to do their own walks and do their own written pieces…

…Using a regular book rather than a typical textbook helps the students to gain the confidence and see for themselves that they can read a regular book. They didn’t think they could at first, but they did! They are only 1st year students, but by setting them up with the confidence to read a normal book in English, by the time it comes to writing their graduation theses in English in their 4th year, they will hopefully have the confidence to tackle any book they might want to use for references!”

Apparently the last class of the semester involved a trip to the Kyoto Botanical Gardens which is conveniently close to the university campus, and is also featured in a very fine chapter of the book by Izumi Texidor Hirai. Inspired by the text, the students did their own walk and wrote about it. And by sheer happy chance they bumped into Judith Clancy, who was good enough to supply our book’s epilogue.

Kyoto Botanical Gardens zigzag bridge — *The zigzag bridge in Kyoto Botanical Gardens which features in Izumi’s walk.*

Well, when I learned of Eleanor’s class, I was quite moved to think of it playing such a part in young people’s education. It was never something I expected, but somehow I feel it has made the whole enterprise worth while. It also strikes me as a very innovative and imaginative way of teaching a reading class: getting the students outdoors, writing their own original pieces, and really living the text! Many thanks, Eleanor. You are clearly an excellent teacher!

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About Eleanor Yamaguchi

Eleanor Yamaguchi is an Associate Professor at Kyoto Prefectural University and a specialist in Japanese history and culture and UK-Japan relations. Her research covers the history of British-Japanese relations, the history of Japan (primarily late Edo/Meiji Periods), international relations and British history & culture (especially of the Victorian period). You can find her at her website, “Eleanor in Japan“, and on Twitter and Instagram.

About Deep Kyoto: Walks

Deep Kyoto: Walks is an independently produced anthology of meditative strolls, rambles, hikes and ambles around Japan’s ancient capital. All of the writers and artists involved in this project have lived and worked in Kyoto for many years and know it intimately. The book is in part a literary tribute to the city that they love and in part a tribute to the art of walking for its own sake. Deep Kyoto: Walks is available as a paperback or e-book from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.jp.

Rounding Off: The Kyoto Trail – An Excerpt from Deep Kyoto: Walks by Perrin Lindelauf

August 25, 2022 By Michael Lambe

Here’s a new excerpt from our book, Deep Kyoto: Walks. In this piece Perrin Lindelauf does a complete circuit of the Kyoto Trail, a hiking route through the mountains and forests that surround Kyoto. Along the way, pacing the ancient city’s perimeter and seeing it with fresh eyes, he finds his love for Kyoto rekindled…

Rounding Off by Perrin Lindelauf

“This book has covered a lot of ground now, from temples and shrines to the seedy streets of Kyoto’s nightlife and the deep shadows beneath the gables of fading machiya. Hoping to see something new of the city I have called home for nine years, I set out to take a good long walk on the Kyoto Trail. Just twenty years old, this route traverses the horseshoe of mountains that define Kyoto’s edges, linking shrines, temples and quiet villages while bobbing over most of the city’s notable peaks. For a city that lacks for central parks and can be overrun with tourists, the route is a refreshing step away from the crowds and noise. It will probably take several hundred years before the Kyoto Trail is venerable enough to attract the seeker of “Old Japan”—so much better for the rest of us.

About 75km in total, the circuit can seem intimidating, but the ease of access to nearly every section means that you can
split up the walk or linger at some of its sights without feeling rushed to meet a bus at the trailhead. There are four official sections: Higashiyama (25km) in the east, Kitayama East (18km) and Kitayama West (19km) in the north and Nishiyama (12km) in the western Arashiyama district. In my own experience on the Trail, I found that the official division was more a product of city hall’s development plan, rather than a consideration of what makes for a good hike.

Instead, I split my walking by theme: temples and shrines in Higashiyama (17km), the Mt. Hiei climb and descent to Kyoto’s villages (25km), a quiet stroll through Kitayama’s forests (15km) and the river valleys of Takao and Arashiyama (11km). While the course can be hiked from sign-post to sign-post, the maps available at any hiking shop in Kyoto are reassuring when you haven’t seen a marker in a while.”

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Text and image by Perrin Lindelauf. All rights reserved.

To read the rest of this story, purchase your copy of Deep Kyoto: Walks. The book is now available as an e-book or paperback from Amazon.com, Amazon.co.jp, and Amazon.co.uk.

About Deep Kyoto: Walks

About Perrin Lindelauf

Perrin Lindelauf lived in Kyoto for 10 years, starting out as an English teacher and gradually working on a travel writing career that has taken him to some of the most distant corners of Japan, as well as the rest of Asia. Born in the Canadian Rockies and an avid hiker, he has written articles for several English publications, and is the author of National Geographic Traveler: Japan. He can be found online at www.perrinlindelauf.com and @perrinl on Twitter.

About the Kyoto Trail

To learn more about the Kyoto Trail, visit the official website here: kyoto-trail.net. A complete set of detailed maps for the Kyoto Trail (京都一周トレイル) has been published by the Kyoto Trail Association and can be bought at bookstores and hiking shops in Kyoto adn from Amazon.co.jp. There is now also an English language Kyoto Trail Guidebook which is available from Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, and Amazon.co.jp.

Maiko Masquerade: Crafting Geisha Girlhood in Japan by Jan Bardsley

May 15, 2021 By Michael Lambe

Disclosure: Some links on this page are affiliate links from which I will earn a commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

“Contemporary maiko are young women, typically between fifteen and twenty years of age, who have chosen to train in an arts profession with roots in the merchant culture and pleasure quarters of the Edo period (1603–1867). Their archaic hairstyles and kimono link them to this artistic past, easily identifying them as maiko. Although other geisha communities in Japan once had apprentices, too, the maiko is famously a Kyoto phenomenon today.”
— From Maiko Masquerade by Jan Bardsley

A new book from University of California Press should be of interest to our readers. A hat tip to the very excellent Shinpai Deshou for bringing it to my attention.

In Maiko Masquerade, the author Jan Bardsley turns her attention to maiko, as a cultural phenomenon. Maiko, she tells us, represent the “quintessential Kyoto girl”, and as the city’s mascot, the image of the maiko is ubiquitous in Kyoto, appearing on maps, posters, stationary, and souvenirs and even from the art atop a cappuccino or matcha latte “milky maiko smile at you”. Maiko are also the key protagonists in many Kyoto-based films, novels, TV dramas, and manga. It’s true that for tourists visiting Kyoto, maiko represent an ideal. Catching a glimpse of a maiko in one of the city’s flower districts, is a magical moment for many visitors, and cosplaying as maiko is a popular tourist activity too.

A major theme of this book is how the image of the maiko has changed from past depictions of maiko as the innocent victims of sexual exploitation, to contemporary 21st century depictions, largely created by women, which emphasize the maiko’s agency. Maiko today are seen as young women who have chosen their own path out of a yearning for the traditional world of kimono and dance. In a fundamental transformation, Bardsley explores how maiko have come “to symbolize the hardworking young artist, the chaste keeper of traditions, and the exemplary Japanese girl” and this in turn has “elevated the maiko’s Kyoto community as a site of deeply rooted cultural values.” By examining popular literature, films, manga and other media Bardsley investigates this archetype of Japanese girlhood as the locus of questions related to “personal choice, gender-appropriate roles, regional and ethnic identity, and the performance of idealized and contradictory femininities.”

Reviews

“Bardsley moves past the reverent tone of the cultural gatekeeper to present maiko through television, art, cosplay, autobiographical texts, and more. This book will be appealing to college instructors for its discussions of race, gender, and nationality; yet a broad audience of readers will also relish its richness and humor.”
–Laura Miller, Ei’ichi Shibusawa-Seigo Arai Endowed Professor of Japanese Studies and Professor of History,University of Missouri-St. Louis

“This is the first book in English to focus on representations of the maiko, positioning these celebrated apprentice geisha at the fruitful intersection of gender studies, Japanese popular culture, research on childhood, and current debates over ‘Japaneseness’ and ‘tradition’ Maiko Masquerade is the rare scholarly study that is sophisticated, accessible, and a true delight to read.”
–William M. Tsutsui, author of Japanese Popular Culture and Globalization

Maiko Masquerade: Crafting Geisha Girlhood in Japan by Jan Bardsley is available from Amazon.com, Amazon.co.jp, and Amazon.co.uk.

About the Author:
Jan Bardsley is Professor Emerita of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is the author of Women and Democracy in Cold War Japan (SOAS Studies in Modern and Contemporary Japan, Bloomsbury, 2014) and The Bluestockings of Japan: New Women Fiction and Essays from Seitō, 1911-1916 (University of Michigan, Center for Japanese Studies, 2007) for which she was awarded the 2011 Hiratsuka Raichō Award by Japan Women’s University.

She is co-editor with Laura Miller of Manners and Mischief: Gender, Power, and Etiquette in Japan (University of California Press, 2011) and Bad Girls of Japan (Palgrave, 2005) and co-producer/director with Joanne Hershfield of the documentary, Women in Japan: Memories of the Past, Dreams for the Future (2002).

The recipient of several campus teaching awards, Bardsley regularly taught the course, “Geisha in History, Fiction, and Fantasy” at UNC-Chapel Hill from 2001 to 2018 and presented talks on geisha to university and community audiences across the U.S. In a recent blog post she relates how questions her students asked her during that course inspired her latest book.

monk: Light and Shadow on the Philosopher’s Path – Reflections and Recipes from a Kyoto Restaurant

May 9, 2021 By Michael Lambe

Disclosure: Some links on this page are affiliate links from which I will earn a commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

As this long, strange interlude continues, many of us are hankering for a trip overseas, craving fresh cultural encounters, and hungering for a taste of authentic foreign cuisines. No doubt many have Kyoto at the top of their “to visit” list once international travel resumes and feel frustrated that they cannot visit sooner. For the present though, if we are forced to simply dream of travel, perhaps we may while away some time with plans for future journeys, the people we will visit, and the food we will share.

Imagine yourself, one day in the not too distant future, strolling with a friend down Kyoto’s tree-lined Philosopher’s Path, and spotting a warm, firey glow from the windows of a small path-side restaurant, you ask your companion, “What do you think? Shall we give it a try?” A new book from Phaidon, tells the story of what you will find in that restaurant, with personal reflections from its chef and a sensory feast of fine photography to help feed your dreams of Kyoto, along with a series of unique recipes to help you bridge the hungry gap.

monk: Light and Shadow on the Philosopher’s Path tells the intimate story of monk, a 14-seat restaurant tucked away on a corner of Kyoto’s Philosopher’s Path, where chef Yoshihiro Imai serves up an ever-changing menu of fresh vegetables and Kyoto-style pizza from his wood-fired oven. Imai opened his restaurant in 2015, and quickly won renown for his innovative spin on Japanese cuisine, with his focus on pizza as a simple dish that is easily shared, and which also provides a versatile canvas on which to present a rich variety of local ingredients. The source of those ingredients is also crucial to the restaurant’s success. As Imai writes on his website, “Every morning I visit farms tucked in the mountains of Ohara and visit markets around Kyoto to collect and gather fresh ingredients. Breathing in the wind, I absorb the earth’s energies which I transport to the kitchen, the dishes, and our restaurant.” For Imai, cooking with fire is also central to bringing out the simple flavors of his ingredients and he states that “roasting vegetables in a wood-fired oven is the most delicious possible way to eat them.”

Imai doesn’t just serve pizza of course. That is simply the the climax of a 7-course omakase-style meal (decided by the chef) which heavily emphasizes seasonal vegetables, foraged mushrooms, nuts, and herbs, and game meat such as duck, venison, or wild boar. The main dish is your choice from that day’s pizza options which, depending on the season, may be topped with wildflowers, butterbur, or fiddlehead ferns.

In his book, Imai explains through a series of personal essays how his “primitive” style of cooking with fire, and his “small is beautiful” philosophy is inspired both by Japanese culture and his experiences working at restaurants around the world. The book takes you on a journey through the seasons, with stories of the farmers, fishermen, and artisans who form part of the restaurant’s supply-chain. He also relates how monk has managed to survive the current pandemic, by offering takeout meals and delivery services, that have not only kept his own business afloat and helped support his suppliers, but also enabled him to forge closer bonds with his local community. “It isn’t just the cooking that sustains me,” writes Imai, “but the full monk experience of sharing space with my guests. Everything from the conversations about the ingredients and the farmers to the sight of the burning firewood; the flowers, the music. This period has taught me that it’s the shared feeling of spending time with my guests itself that keeps me nourished.”

*Autumn viewed from the restaurant window.*

As can be expected from Phaidon, this book is a handsome hardback volume, fully illustrated throughout with color photographs from Yuka Yanazume. And at the end of the book Imai has provided a generous selection of 75 recipes which you can try yourself. Monk: Light and Shadow on the Philosopher’s Path is available from Amazon.com, Amazon.co.jp, and Amazon.co.uk.

“Time-traveling on Gojo” – A Deep Kyoto Walks Movie with Jen L. Teeter

March 3, 2021 By Michael Lambe

Here is the final video showing scenes from our book Deep Kyoto: Walks. In this short movie, Jen L. Teeter guides us through an area of Kyoto famous for its ceramics and also as a portal to the world of the dead! A hat tip to film-makers Roger Walch and Ted Taylor for putting this series together.

Deep Kyoto: Walks is now available as a print on demand paperback and Kindle e-book. Here are the details:

Deep Kyoto: Walks
Publisher: Deep Kyoto
ISBN: 979-8561499616
Price: $15.99 / ¥1,840
Available from: Amazon.com, Amazon.co.jp, and Amazon.co.uk

Editors: Michael Lambe & Ted Taylor

Authors: Jennifer Louise Teeter, Bridget Scott, Miki Matsumoto, Robert Yellin, Pico Iyer, Chris Rowthorn, John Dougill, John Ashburne, Stephen Henry Gill, Sanborn Brown, Joel Stewart, Izumi Texidor-Hirai, Perrin Lindelauf and Judith Clancy.

And here is what it’s all about:

An anthology of 18 meditative strolls in Japan’s ancient capital, Deep Kyoto: Walks is both a tribute to life in the city of “Purple Hills and Crystal Streams”, and a testament to the art of contemplative city walking. In a series of rambles that express each writer’s intimate relationship with the city, they take you not only to the most famous shrines and temples, but also to those backstreets of memory where personal history and the greater story of the city intersect. Join Pico Iyer, Judith Clancy, Chris Rowthorn, John Dougill, Robert Yellin, John Ashburne and more as they explore markets and mountains, bars and gardens, palaces and pagodas and show us Kyoto afresh through the eyes of those who call it “home”. Included are:

18 walks
17 photographic illustrations
A specially commissioned woodblock print by Richard Steiner
12 detailed maps
Cover Art by internationally acclaimed artist Sarah Brayer

Order your copy now!

“Gods, Monks, Secrets, Fish” – A Deep Kyoto: Walks Movie with John Ashburne

February 5, 2021 By Michael Lambe

Here is the third video showing scenes from our book, Deep Kyoto: Walks. In this short movie, John Ashburne takes us on a tour of “Kyoto’s kitchen” – Nishiki Market. A hat tip to film-makers Roger Walch and Ted Taylor for putting this series together.

Deep Kyoto: Walks is now available as a print on demand paperback and Kindle e-book. Here are the details:

Deep Kyoto: Walks
Publisher: Deep Kyoto
ISBN: 979-8561499616
Price: $15.99 / ¥1,840
Available from: Amazon.com, Amazon.co.jp, and Amazon.co.uk

Editors: Michael Lambe & Ted Taylor

And here is what it’s all about:

18 walks
17 photographic illustrations
A specially commissioned woodblock print by Richard Steiner
12 detailed maps
Cover Art by internationally acclaimed artist Sarah Brayer

Order your copy now!

Deep Kyoto Walks Movie: Kamogawa Musing with John Dougill

January 26, 2021 By Michael Lambe

Here is the second video showing scenes from our book, Deep Kyoto: Walks. In this short film John Dougill guides us down the Kamogawa River which runs through the heart of Kyoto. A hat tip to film-makers Roger Walch and Ted Taylor for putting this series together.

Deep Kyoto: Walks is now available as a print on demand paperback and Kindle e-book. Here are the details:

Deep Kyoto: Walks
Publisher: Deep Kyoto
ISBN: 979-8561499616
Price: $15.99 / ¥1,840
Available from: Amazon.com, Amazon.co.jp, and Amazon.co.uk

Editors: Michael Lambe & Ted Taylor

And here is what it’s all about:

18 walks
17 photographic illustrations
A specially commissioned woodblock print by Richard Steiner
12 detailed maps
Cover Art by internationally acclaimed artist Sarah Brayer

Order your copy now!

A Look Inside “Kyoto: A Literary Guide”

December 13, 2020 By Michael Lambe

Our book Kyoto: A Literary Guide received a very fine review from Stephen Mansfield in the Japan Times last month. However, for the most part, the book can only be bought online, which means uncertain shoppers don’t really know what they are getting before they make that purchase. To remedy this problem, I have made (with the assistance of Mewby) a short video which presents a sort of virtual browse inside the book and also includes a couple of poetry readings by myself (and Mewby). Details of how to buy the book are listed below the video.

Kyoto: A Literary Guide is now available in hardcover, paperback and as an e-book and can be ordered from Amazon.com, Amazon.co.jp, and Amazon.co.uk.

Deep Kyoto: Walks is now available in paperback and as an e-book and can also be ordered from Amazon.com, Amazon.co.jp, and Amazon.co.uk.

Disclosure: Links on this website to Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, and Amazon.co.jp are affiliate links from which I will earn a commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Deep Kyoto Walks Movie: “Not Sure Which Way to Go” with Robert Yellin

December 9, 2020 By Michael Lambe

Local film-makers Ted Taylor and Roger Walch have put together a series of short movies showing scenes from our book – Deep Kyoto: Walks. Here is the first video which features autumnal scenes from Kyoto’s Path of Philosophy and Robert Yellin reading from his piece, “Not Sure Which Way to Go”.

Deep Kyoto: Walks is now available as a print on demand paperback and Kindle e-book. Here are the details:

Deep Kyoto: Walks
Publisher: Deep Kyoto
ISBN: 979-8561499616
Price: $15.99 / ¥1,840
Available from: Amazon.com, Amazon.co.jp, and Amazon.co.uk

Editors: Michael Lambe & Ted Taylor

And here is what it’s all about:

18 walks
17 photographic illustrations
A specially commissioned woodblock print by Richard Steiner
12 detailed maps
Cover Art by internationally acclaimed artist Sarah Brayer

Order your copy now to get it on time for Christmas!

The Gion Festival – Exploring Its Mysteries by Catherine Pawasarat

December 5, 2020 By Michael Lambe

Links on this page are affiliate links from which I will earn a commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Gion Matsuri, Kyoto’s most famous festival, is held each summer in the month of July. It features gorgeously decorated floats, parades and processions, purification rituals, traditional music, displays of family heirlooms, and a giant street party. During the latter, central Kyoto is converted into a carnivalesque “pedestrian paradise” with local folk promenading in all their finery, sampling street food, bumping into old friends, and admiring the floats. There’s something magical about it all, but for outsiders it can be hard to grasp what exactly is going on. “At times,” writes Catherine Pawasarat, “the festival can feel overwhelming.” She’s not wrong. Looking at just one float, with its antique tapestries, its ornate carvings, its long central pole stretching up into the heavens, a casual visitor might wonder briefly what it is all about, shrug their shoulders and move on. How much harder it would be to fathom the festival in its entirety! Happily, Catherine Pawasarat has now blessed us with a highly enjoyable guide to Gion Matsuri, that provides a thorough overview of this unique festival: its traditions, its roots, its rituals, its significance, and the unique system of community collaboration that has kept the festival going for more than 1,150 years.

Pawasarat describes early in the book how when living in central Kyoto in the early ‘90s she stepped outside her house to find herself face-to-face with one of those giant floats. Unlike our imagined visitor, she asked a question, “What’s that?” and this first question was followed by another question, and then more questions, which she kept on asking until now, over 25 years later, she has boiled down the fruits of her dogged research into this remarkable book.

The book has two main aspects. On the one hand it is a handy and practical guide book that you can carry around with you as you tour the festival. The sequence of events is clearly laid out with a schedule and maps, each of the floats has its own entry with its key points of interest explained, there are practical tips for enjoying the festival coolly and comfortably, and suggestions for things to see and do.

On the other hand, this book is also an initiation into the deeper significance of the festival. Pawasarat is a long-time teacher of Buddhist meditation techniques and her spiritual training has led her to some profound insights about the nature of this annual celebration. She recounts an occasion one sultry summer night, when trapped within a seething crowd of festival-goers she felt “desperately stuck amidst a clamor of humanity”. However, on hearing the unearthly kon chiki chin of traditional flute and bell music she suddenly realized that she and all those around her were in the “in the middle of a Shintō purification ritual” and this understanding helped her to accept her place in the heaving throng. Later in the book she draws a thought-provoking comparison between the festival and a Tibetan mandala. Like a mandala the festival is painstakingly created each year, its many parts assembled into 34 beautiful floats, which create a network of sacred spots about the city center. But just like a mandala, after only a short time, all this beauty is taken apart and swept away. The annual repetition of this process is a reminder and a celebration of the transient beauty of life, a theme that chimes like a bell through Pawasarat’s book, just as it has through this city, each summer, for over a millennium.

Along the way, Pawasarat also pays tribute to the local community that supports Gion Matsuri and lists the many innovative ways that they are adapting to the challenges of the modern era. Reading of the festival’s transformation through the ages, the meaning behind each of its parades and processions, and the sheer effort that goes into putting it on each year one cannot fail to be impressed.

Gion Matsuri was born in the year 869, during a time of epidemic, and was initiated by the emperor to placate the gods and banish misfortune and disease. Ironically this book is being published during a global pandemic, when most of Gion Matsuri’s major events have been cancelled. Still, reading this book I felt like I had in a way visited the festival this year and paid my respects to the festival gods. I enjoyed this book immensely. It is a treasure trove of information about the festival and beautifully illustrated with the author’s own color photographs. For anyone who seeks to understand the modern city of Kyoto, its community spirit, and its vibrant traditions this book is an essential read.

The Gion Festival – Exploring Its Mysteries by Catherine Pawasarat is available as a paperback and Kindle e-book from the following vendors:

Amazon.com: Paperback Edition / Kindle Edition
Amazon.co.jp: Paperback Edition / Kindle Edition
Amazon.co.uk: Paperback Edition / Kindle Edition

Deep Kyoto: Walks Paperback Edition Now Available

November 27, 2020 By Michael Lambe

This is a delightful collection of essays written by a diverse group of writers who share an obvious and contagious affection for Kyoto.
– Matthew Stavros (Author: “Kyoto: An Urban History of Japan’s Premodern Capital ”)

I am delighted to annouce the release of Deep Kyoto: Walks as a paperback edition. This is a print on demand (POD) edition and has been independently produced via Amazon’s Direct Publishing service. Here are the details:

Deep Kyoto: Walks
Publisher: Deep Kyoto
ISBN: 979-8561499616
Price: $15.99 / ¥1,840
Available from: Amazon.com, Amazon.co.jp, and Amazon.co.uk

Editors: Michael Lambe & Ted Taylor
Authors: Jennifer Louise Teeter, Bridget Scott, Miki Matsumoto, Robert Yellin, Pico Iyer, Chris Rowthorn, John Dougill, John Ashburne, Stephen Henry Gill, Sanborn Brown, Joel Stewart, Izumi Texidor-Hirai, Perrin Lindelauf and Judith Clancy.

Here’s the official blurb:

18 walks
17 photographic illustrations
A specially commissioned woodblock print by Richard Steiner
12 detailed maps
Cover Art by internationally acclaimed artist Sarah Brayer

The e-book edition of Deep Kyoto: Walks has been available since 2014 and has received many fine reviews. The text of the new paperback is essentially the same as that of the e-book, but some typos and errors present in the digital text have now been corrected for the print edition. In addition, while the text of the e-book includes color photographs, this was not possible for the paperback which is in black and white. Happily, all the photographs have turned out very well in black and white and the paperback also has one extra image (courtesy of Ted Taylor). Moreover, the glorious cover by Yutaka Nakayama is still in color, and Richard Steiner’s “Abiding” print is also reproduced in color on the back cover.

The completion of this project is due in large part to the tireless work of our designer and technical maestro Rick Elizaga to whom I offer my eternal gratitude. Many thanks also to all the contributors for taking part in this project and making this a very splendid book! Order now to get it on time for Christmas!

The Sixth Annual Writers in Kyoto Writing Competition

November 16, 2020 By Michael Lambe

It’s that time of year again! Thanks to Karen Lee Tawarayama for passing on the news of the 6th annual Writers in Kyoto writing competition. There are a variety of prizes on offer again this year and of course the chance to be published in the next WiK anthology. Here are some details:

THEME: Kyoto (English language submissions only)
DEADLINE: March 31st, 2021 (Midnight JST)
GENRE: Short Shorts (unpublished material only)
WORD LIMIT: 300 Words (to fit on a single page)
FORM: Short poems, character studies, essays, travel tips, whimsy, haiku sequence, haibun, wordplays, dialogue, experimental verse, etc. In short, anything that helps show the spirit of place in a fresh light.

Submission Requirements

Limited to one submission per person
You do not need to be located in Kyoto to participate. We accept submissions from anywhere in the world.
Must be submitted by Microsoft Word attachment file. (Submissions by PDF attachment will NOT be accepted.)
At the top of the Microsoft Word attachment (not in the body of the e-mail), please include the following: Full Name, E-mail Contact, Nationality, Current Residence (Town, Country).
Do not provide any special formatting to your piece. We request your information at the top with the text directly below.
Please send your Microsoft Word attachment file to: kyotowritingcompetition2021@gmail.com

For more details of this competition please check the Call for Entries on the official WiK wesbite. If you are looking for inspiration, two of the Writers in Kyoto anthologies (shown below) which include some of the previous years’ winners are available from Amazon in both paperback and Kindle editions.

Encounters with Kyoto: Writers in Kyoto Anthology 3

Kyoto: A Literary Guide – New Translations from Twelve Centuries of Japanese Literature

July 12, 2020 By Michael Lambe

Today I am very happy to share news of a brand new publication, Kyoto: A Literary Guide, which was launched this month by Camphor Press. This book was born from the shared efforts of the Kyo-centrics: a long-standing poetry in translation discussion group – of which I happen to be a member. In addition to myself, the six Kyo-centrics who collated, translated and edited this book comprise Paul Carty, Joe Cronin, David McCullough, Itsuyo Higashinaka, and our group captain John Dougill. Having watched the development of this book from its first inception to the final proofs I can honestly say that this has turned out to be a very special book indeed, with poems and prose passages selected from the full sweep of Kyoto’s literary history, detailed explanatory notes, and beautiful black-and-white illustrations including photographs, prints, and picture scrolls.

Here is an excerpt from the blurb:

“This fascinating selection of Kyoto-specific literature takes readers through twelve centuries of cultural heritage, from ancient Heian beginnings to contemporary depictions. The city’s aesthetic leaning is evident throughout in a mix of well-known and less familiar works by a wide-ranging cast that includes emperors and court ladies, Zen masters and warrior scholars, wandering monks and poet “immortals.” We see the city through their eyes in poetic pieces that reflect timeless themes of beauty, nature, love and war. An assortment of tanka, haiku, modern verse and prose passages make up the literary feast, and as we enter recent times there are English-language poems too.”

The theme that unites the book is of course Kyoto, this enchanting city in which we have made our homes. All the pieces selected are either about ‘the ancient capital’ or about particular locations in the city and are arranged chronologically. Original Japanese texts are presented alongside our fresh translations with rōmaji transcriptions, and footnotes with biographical details. In the later stages of the book, English poems are presented with original translations into Japanese.

The translations I think are highly unique in that they are very much a group effort created in a spirit of gracious compromise. Each translator’s early renderings were followed by much debate and negotiation on how best to maintain linguistic accuracy while striving to adhere to the poetic spirit of the original texts. It is commonly said that writers must be prepared to kill their darlings to improve their work and this is equally true of translators. However, a remarkable feature of this project was the good-humored manner in which all members were ready to slaughter their darlings wholesale in pursuit of the greater good. In many ways this book stands as a fine testament to our ongoing friendship and to our overriding love and respect for this great city. More importantly, I believe we have succeeded in presenting an anthology of works that have the power to move and inspire the reader even through the filter of translation. Along the way I have certainly acquired my own personal favorites. Look out for the booming of the Gion bell that opens Heike Monogatari: a powerful meditation on transcience filled with vital imagery. Then there is the light snap of bamboo that wakes Fujiwara no Ariie from snow-bound dreams, Baisaō the tea seller hiking up the steps of old Kodaij-ji to make a soul-refreshing brew, Rai San’yō watching dusk fall over the Kamo River, the Emperor Meiji feeling the weight of history at the tombs of his ancestors, Yosano Akiko recording a Gion night infused with the beauty of cherry-blossom, and Amano Tadashi’s surreal encounter at Tō-ji temple’s flea market. These are just a few snapshots from a wonderful selection that captures and reveals the special magic of this inspirational city. For anyone who loves Kyoto, or who is interested in the great flow of Japanese literature, this book is an essential read.

Kyoto: A Literary Guide is now available in hardcover, paperback and as an e-book and can be ordered from Amazon.com, Amazon.co.jp, and Amazon.co.uk.

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Encounters with Kyoto (Writers in Kyoto Anthology 3) Now Available

June 21, 2019 By Michael Lambe

Here’s a short announcement from the good folks at Writers in Kyoto (WiK):

Encounters with Kyoto (Writers in Kyoto Anthology 3)

On sale now from amazon.com and amazon.co.jp

Edited by Jann Williams and Ian Josh Yates
Foreword by Juliet Winters Carpenter

Inside the covers lies the third collection of enticing works by Writers in Kyoto. From gardens to gangsters, temples to tourism, ceramics to Casablanca, the diverse writings of 22 authors will capture your imagination. Fresh new authors place their work alongside established and respected writers already known for their insights into Japan. All find inspiration from the muse of Kyoto city. The works include dreamy fiction, memorable non-fiction as well as remarkable poetry on the city that’s inspired a million poems. New works by Alex Kerr and Simon Rowe bookend the newest winners of the annual Writers in Kyoto Competition and much more. A captivating thread running through the anthology is the invitation to encounter and reflect on the splendour of the ancient city yourself. For those who are still to visit Kyoto, and those who have already been, what will your story be?