Here is this month's poetry column from poet and translator Keiji Minato... The Minase Sangin Hyakuin by Sogi, Shohaku, and Socho 雪ながら山もとかすむ夕かな 宗祇 Yuki nagara yama-moto kasumu yube kana As it snows the base of the mountain is misty this evening (Sogi) 行く水とほく梅にほふ里 肖柏 Yuku mizu toku ume niou sato Far in the way the water goes a plum-blossom-smelling hamlet … [Read more...] about Three Poets at Minase
Shrines
A Kyoto New Year
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
Cherry Blossoms at Heian Jingu
One of the best books you can read about Kyoto is a novel by Yasunari Kawabata: The Old Capital. It is both a great story, and a wonderful guide to the city and its seasonal traditions. One of the most famous scenes in that book is in the gardens of Heian Jingu when the characters Chieko and Shin'ichi go to see the cherry blossoms. I visited Heian Jingu yesterday to see these … [Read more...] about Cherry Blossoms at Heian Jingu
