This weeks extract from Deep Kyoto: Walks is brought to you by the BBC! We are all very pleased that BBC Travel have used a version of Pico Iyer's article "Into the Tumult", to launch their new Words & Wanderlust site. The version published on the BBC site differs mainly in the second half, though there are numerous small changes throughout. To read the original, buy our … [Read more...] about Into the Tumult – An Extract from Deep Kyoto Walks by Pico Iyer on BBC Travel!
Books
Gods, Monks, Secrets, Fish – An Extract from Deep Kyoto Walks by John Ashburne
Today John Ashburne takes us on a mouth-watering tour of Nishikikōji market and along the way adds a sprinkling of zen spice from the Buddhist teacher Dōgen Zenji... Maintain an attitude that tries to build great temples from ordinary greens, that expounds the buddhadharma through the most trivial activity, handle even a single leaf of a green in such a way that it … [Read more...] about Gods, Monks, Secrets, Fish – An Extract from Deep Kyoto Walks by John Ashburne
Kamogawa Musing – An Excerpt from Deep Kyoto Walks by John Dougill
In this extract from Deep Kyoto: Walks, John Dougill walking by the Kamo River, the nature reserve that cuts through the heart of Kyoto, muses on history and literature… “The flow of the river is ceaseless and its water is never the same. The bubbles that float in the pools, now vanishing, now forming, are not of long duration. So in the world are man and his dwellings.” … [Read more...] about Kamogawa Musing – An Excerpt from Deep Kyoto Walks by John Dougill
Japanese Kanji & Kana – A Review
Japanese Kanji & Kana A Complete Guide to the Japanese Writing System Authors: Wolfgang Hadamitzky & Mark Spahn Paperback: 424 pages Publisher: Tuttle Publishing; Revised edition (April 10, 2012) Price: $24.95 Order direct from Amazon.com here. This book is designed to help students of Japanese learn the first 92 basic kana characters and the 2,136 standard … [Read more...] about Japanese Kanji & Kana – A Review
Old School Gaijin Kyoto – An Excerpt from Deep Kyoto Walks by Chris Rowthorn
In Old School Gaijin Kyoto, Chris Rowthorn takes us on a hilarious tour of the bars and eateries of Kiyamachi as he revisits the haunts of his reckless youth with the ironic eye of experience. From "Old School Gaijin Kyoto" by Chris Rowthorn I first arrived in Japan in January 1992. I was a kid of 26. Green as a sapling. I had graduated from college a few years … [Read more...] about Old School Gaijin Kyoto – An Excerpt from Deep Kyoto Walks by Chris Rowthorn
Blue Sky – An Excerpt from Deep Kyoto Walks
Today I am posting another in a series of short excerpts from our ebook Deep Kyoto: Walks. In Blue Sky, the poet Stephen Henry Gill acts as a guide to the Saga & Arashiyama area for a young visitor who has come to learn more about the conservation NPO, People Together for Mt. Ogura. Stephen whimsically names his visitor Blue Sky, because that was the first thing he saw that … [Read more...] about Blue Sky – An Excerpt from Deep Kyoto Walks
Ghosts, Monkeys & Other Neighbours – An Excerpt from Deep Kyoto: Walks
Today I am posting a short excerpt from our ebook Deep Kyoto: Walks. In Ghosts, Monkeys & Other Neighbours, Bridget Scott meditates on her personal connection to her neighborhood on a well-worn stroll from Shisen-dō to Manshu-in… In Kyoto, the act of walking itself has taken on a new meaning for me. This awareness began over twenty years ago with my first butoh class: … [Read more...] about Ghosts, Monkeys & Other Neighbours – An Excerpt from Deep Kyoto: Walks
On Foot in the Ancient Capital by Judith Clancy ~ An Exclusive Excerpt from Deep Kyoto: Walks
Disclosure: Some links in this article are affiliate links from which the owner of this website may earn a commission. Kyoto Journal have posted an an interesting interview with Judith Clancy in which she reflects on her life here in Kyoto and the many books she has written about this city. Kyoto city is an affair of the heart for me. I love the history, the art, design … [Read more...] about On Foot in the Ancient Capital by Judith Clancy ~ An Exclusive Excerpt from Deep Kyoto: Walks
Meltdown – An Anthology of Haiku, Z – A
MELTDOWN メルトダウン (2013) An Anthology of Haiku, Z to A. ISBN: 978-4-9900822-5-3 Edited by Stephen Henry Gill Includes almost 500 haiku and a short 4-part seasonal renku cycle over 228 pages. Cover by Richard Steiner. Price:￥1,500; airmail $20, incl. p&p Dimensions: 19 x 13 cm. Covers feature a tactile matt paper finish. How to order: details are at the Hailstone Haiku … [Read more...] about Meltdown – An Anthology of Haiku, Z – A
Craft Beer in Japan: The Essential Guide by Mark Meli
This is an excellent little book, packed with useful information for beer lovers here in Japan and a handy portable size for carrying around to all those bars. Personally, I enjoy drinking craft beers, but I am very far away from being an expert, and far too lazy to study the variety of beers available in a systematic way. Fortunately, Mark Meli has done my homework for me. … [Read more...] about Craft Beer in Japan: The Essential Guide by Mark Meli
The Stone Garden at Ryoanji
The vacant space of the garden, like silence, absorbs the mind, frees it of petty detail, and serves as a visual guide -a means for penetrating through the "realm of the multitudes." --- from "Stone Garden" by Will Petersen. My friend Chris Carver, recently lent me a copy of Jack Kerouac's The Dharma Bums and fairly early on in the book I found something, or rather … [Read more...] about The Stone Garden at Ryoanji
