Our group Writers in Kyoto was founded by John Dougill in 2015 and has grown from about 7 original members to over 70. We can all be proud of what we have accomplished in these ten years.
On April 13, at the lovely Japanese-style Ganko Takasegawa Nijo-en restaurant, we said farewell to John Dougill in two important ways. First, he is stepping down as leader of Writers in Kyoto, and second, due to health issues, he is moving back to England and will be living in Oxford, a city he knows and loves. He will leave a big hole in the Kyoto foreigners’ community.
Photos by Rebecca Otowa and Rick Elizaga
The WiK committee and other members, about 20 in all, gathered to express our gratitude for his founding the group, and to say goodbye to him and wish him well as he begins this new phase of his life. As we enjoyed a lovely Japanese-style lunch (thankfully not on the floor!) we had lots of cheery chatter and good times.
A toast to John was offered by longtime member Mike Freiling. Drinks had not yet arrived so most of us toasted with water, which is all right I guess if lots of us were doing it at the same time! John gave a lovely talk in which he thanked many members by name, in his usual style of turning the spotlight elsewhere, and we were reminded of absent friends who couldn’t be there.
Two presents were offered to John — a tote bag with “Even in Kyoto, I long for Kyoto” (part of a famous haiku by Bashō) on it, which had been specially made for the occasion, and a shikishi (writing board) which was signed by all participants in the traditional Japanese way.
After that, there was a raffle of some books of John’s and other things, and when the party broke up, John was kept busy signing books and accepting good wishes from attendees.
We are all grateful to John for giving us such a great platform for writing and the memory of many events and good times that we have all shared in this group. And we wish him all the best in his new home, and hope that we will see him again in Japan before too long. May the good air of England and dear familiar faces and places help to heal him and give him more and other happy memories, to add to the ones he has collected in Japan all these years. We will miss him in so many ways, and will try our best to continue with the good work that he has begun in this group.
I’d like to add my own thanks to everyone who has brought Writers in Kyoto this far, and to emphasize that now, more than ever, we need support and help to bring WiK to new heights.