Here’s a quick message from our friends in Writers in Kyoto:

Writers in Kyoto is delighted to present author and commentator, Jeff Kingston, as our main speaker for 2020. Due to the Corona crisis, this will be a Zoom event starting at 4.00 on Saturday May 23. Jeff will be interviewed by Japan Times columnist Amy Chavez, following which the floor will be open for participants to ask questions.

The event is open to paid up WiK members, to whom a link for the event will be sent. Non-members interested in participating are invited to do so by first enrolling as a WiK member. (For details of how to pay, see https://www.writersinkyoto.com/about/ )

Jeff Kingston is the director of Asian Studies, Temple University Japan. He became well-known through his column for the Japan Times, in which he commented on politics and current affairs. His final column about the power accrued by Shinzo Abe was on Sept 23, 2017. He holds a PhD in history from Columbia University, and he writes for a large number of media outlets. Amongst his books is Press Freedom in Contemporary Japan (2017), and his most recent work Japan, published by Routledge, has won favourable reviews worldwide. He is also the editor of Critical Issues in Contemporary Japan, published in 2019.

This will be a rare occasion to hear a leading commentator talk about Japanese current affairs, with a chance to ask directly the questions you have long been wondering about. Please do join us on May 23 at 4.00pm for what we hope will be a global occasion, with WiK members tuning in from Australia, Canada, America and throughout the Kansai area.

For more details please see the Writers in Kyoto website. Inquiries should be directed to their Contact Page.

Good news for Jazz fans! Renowned American jazz guitarist, Joshua Breakstone has moved to Kyoto and will be playing here regularly in a special series of “First Fridays” starting this July. The venue is a great new jazz club in Gion called Bond’s Rosary. Says Joshua, “On the first Friday of every month I’ll be there with my trio and we’ll invite a special guest to play with us.” The special guests booked for the first three months are alto sax player, Gary Tegler on July 6th, vocalist Kunie Iwanami on August 3rd, and pianist Philip Strange on September 7th.

If you can’t make it to Joshua’s Kyoto shows, fear not! Joshua will also be playing a series of Last Saturday gigs at Basin Street in the nearby city of Kobe.

About Joshua Breakstone
“The signature characteristics of Joshua’s playing style are melodic inventiveness, fluid, horn-like lines, and harmonies etched by careful note selection.” – Tim Berens

Joshua Breakstone has been described as “a discreetly confident force of nature in command of his own technical power”. With over 20 albums recorded since his 1983 debut, “Wonderful!”, Breakstone has recorded with jazz legends such as Tommy Flanagan, Barry Harris, Kenny Barron, and Pepper Adams. His most recent recording, “Children of Art”, is a tribute to Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers and will be available for sale at his shows.

Bonds Rosary is a 4 minute walk from Exit 1A of Hankyu Kawaramachi Station and a 30 second walk from Exit 7 of Gion-Shijo Station. Here is a MAP of the location.

Basin Street is an 8 minute walk north of Sannomiya Station in Kobe. Here is a MAP.

Find out more about Joshua and his music at his website: http://www.joshuabreakstone.com

My article, A Day Trip to Ohara, is now up on Inside Kyoto…

Ohara is many things: a rural retreat, a tourist hotspot, an ancient training ground of spiritual music, and the last refuge and resting place of those who were bested by history. Once, Ohara was considered by the people of Kyoto as a remote outpost in its north-eastern hills. Today, you can get there by bus from the city center in an hour – if the traffic is good. And the renowned beauty of its gardens draws much traffic. In spring, the city folk flock to Ohara to see cherry blossoms, hydrangeas and azaleas. In the autumn, the crowds pour in to admire the autumn leaves.

Read more here: A Day Trip to Ohara.

In case you missed it, my article about the Samurai Kembu Theater is now up on Inside Kyoto…

Kembu is a Japanese martial art that combines sword play with dance. At the Samurai Kembu Theater in Kyoto you can watch a performance of this traditional dance and enter the world of the samurai warrior. Our flashing blade, Michael Lambe, reports…

Read more here: Sword Dancing in Kyoto at Samurai Kembu Theater

My latest article for Inside Kyoto is a walk up the Path of Philosophy from the peace and tranquility of Eikan-do Temple in the south, to the popular tourist attraction, Ginkaku-ji Temple in the north. Along the way I encounter philosophical cats, colorful flowers, and sites of historical note, stopping off en route to partake of a traditional vegan tofu lunch. I also explore in some depth the life and work of the eponymous philosopher: Nishida Kitaro. Read it all here: http://www.insidekyoto.com/walking-the-path-of-philosophy

See also: Articles for Inside Kyoto

My article, Kyoto Samurai, is now up on Chris Rowthorn’s Inside Kyoto website. For this piece I took a tour of sites around Kyoto associated with legendary samurai of the Bakumatsu era, like Sakamoto Ryōma and the Shinsengumi. I must say, once I got into this topic I found it quite fascinating, and I even started watching that old NHK Shinsengumi! drama series!

The Bakumatsu was a time of profound turmoil and change that saw the end of the old feudal Shogunate, and the start of a new modern era with the Meiji Restoration. During this time, some swordsmen fought for tradition and others for change. Among them Sakamoto Ryōma was a lone wolf figure, working behind the scenes to realise his vision of a modern Japan. When I visited his grave and saw other visitors pray at his tomb I felt profoundly moved by the high esteem in which he is held even now among modern Japanese.

One major site of interest that isn’t mentioned in the article is the Teradaya in Fushimi. This was the location of Sakamoto Ryōma’s famous escape from a Shinsengumi attack, and today it is a museum dedicated to his memory. It seemed better to include that site though, in a more general article on Fushimi, so look out for that one in the coming months.

Here is the link: Kyoto Samurai!

See also: Toka Ebisu on Inside Kyoto

Unfortunately, Mewby has to work on Christmas Day, so left to my own devices I spent the afternoon rambling over Inari Mountain. And what a wonderfully spooky mountain it is! Here are some pictures. Merry Christmas to you all!

Turn to the “My City” section of this month’s Simple Things magazine and you will find my article on Kyoto. My photographs are also used exclusively in the article.

The Simple Things is a lifestyle magazine from Britain with a monthly My City feature in which “one person – clearly in love with their city” is asked “to tell us what makes it so special.”

Here are some excerpts to give you a taste:

“In Kyoto we’re blessed with plentiful access to nature. We’re surrounded by forested mountains, rivers and tree-lined canals. My personal favourite is the Kamo river, a beautiful nature reserve and bird-watcher’s paradise that cuts right through the city centre. Arashiyama (literally Storm Mountain) is another famed beauty spot, where you can take a boat cruise through the Hozu River Gorge or visit the monkey park. Gosho (the Imperial Palace Park), and the Kyoto Botanical Gardens are also popular picnicking spots.”

“Kyoto has everything I need from a city with a ready access to natural beauty immediately at hand. The seasonal traditions, festivals and ceremonies of the city are a constant source of stimulation and the historical atmosphere and the rich culture of arts, crafts, music and performance are inspiring.”

To order, subscribe or download The Simple Things please visit their website here: http://www.thesimplethings.com/the-magazine/
You can download a digital issue to your i-phone or i-pad here.

My apologies to all, but various complications have arisen that have made it impossible for me to adequately prepare and plan for the release party on June 15th. I have therefore decided to cancel.

Hopefully we will be able to hold a party for the release of the print copy of the book later this year.

Put this in your diary!

We will have a party to celebrate the release of Deep Kyoto: Walks on Sunday June 15th from 6pm, at Papa Jon’s Eatery.

There will be readings from the book, a chance to talk to us about the walks, and some music.

Papa John’s Eatery is on the 3rd floor of the Shimpukan Building, just south of Oike, on the east side of Karasuma.

All welcome!

Further details to be announced!

Ten years ago this morning I rolled into Kyoto in a removal van after an all night drive from Tokyo. The cherry blossom was blooming then too. Many thanks to my JET sempai, Duncan Flett, who helped me to find a new place to live and who handed me the key to my new apartment on my arrival in the early hours of the morning. He also handed me a banana – rather kindly thinking I might be hungry after my trip. I will never forget that banana! Many thanks also to Mario Leto who did the driving that night! I have never regretted moving to this wonderful city.

To celebrate, here are two of my favorite Kyoto views, photographed today.

The view from Gojo bridge this morning – a short walk from where I live now.

And the view from the Imadegawa bridge at Demachiyanagi this evening. When I first moved to Kyoto I passed this view every day on my way to and from Japanese language school. After living and working in Shinjuku, this view of mountains, rivers and sky was really special. I think this is still my favorite area in Kyoto.

A special review today by our good friend Richard Donovan,

Taking photos in Joel Stewart’s painting studio in North Kyoto, I struggle to contain his upcoming exhibition’s signature artwork, Odyssey, within the frame. A horizontal painting comprised of six separate 40-centimeter-square images painted on both paper and canvas, all mounted onto wooden panels and joined together. It is a veritable visual haiku extending more than two meters. [Read more…]

A couple of weeks ago Mewby and I went up to Kitayama to hang out for an evening at Joel Stewart’s studio. We had a long chat about his life and experiences here in Japan, and about his art, and he asked us to help him choose a picture that he was going to submit for this year’s 京展 (Kyoten) at Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art. It was a very nice evening and later on he introduced us to Brown’s, a British style pub with great food, and a very cozy ambience – I’ll write more about that in a later post though. Joel had told us he would have an exhibition at the end of the year here in Kyoto, so prior to that we will do a full interview with him here on Deep Kyoto. However, in the meantime, I am happy to say that his piece has been selected for this year’s Kyoten!
Kyoten, if you don’t know, is the annual comprehensive art show organized by Kyoto City at Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art and this is its 80th year. They have western style painting, Japanese style painting, crafts, prints and calligraphy. Joel submitted a work that juxtaposes abstract work with a more concrete image – energizing both!

Here are the exhibition details:

Dates: July 3 (Wednesday) －July 19 (Friday)
Place: Main Hall North 1F, The Large Exhibition Room, and all of the 2F rooms at Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art
Open: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (admission until 4:30 p.m.)
Location: Jingumichi in Okazaki, not far from Heianjingu Shrine. Here is a map.

And here we are being silly in front of one of Joel’s beautiful screens:

They don’t exhibit screens at Kyoten, so the work he has there is much smaller but if you are interested, you can read more about Joel’s five year folding screen installation project, “Crossroads” in his own account here:
Crossroads: How to arrange 60 paintings in a Fushimi Warehouse
And also follow Joel’s page on Facebook here: Joel Stewart Art.

Hello all! I have returned from my travels, but have decided to take an extended break from all internet activities for the next month or so, in order to *get things done*. To that end, there will be no further posts either here or on Facebook for the time being. I will however maintain a very limited service of Kyoto related links on Twitter. In the meantime, I will not be able to handle any Kyoto related queries, so for all those wondering where to see the very best cherry blossoms or where to find that textile shop they vaguely remember visiting in 1971, may I recommend this most excellent directory of information.

Deep Kyoto will resume full operations later this spring.