Writers in Kyoto

Category: Reviews

Hearn 5: Story of a Fly

Synopsis and commentary on a story.

Film Review: Impossible to Imagine

Review of a film set in Kyoto that addresses topical social issues in Japan.

Book Review: Japanese Wood and Carpentry – Rustic and Refined, by Mechtild Mertz

A review of a book on wood in Japan including types of wood, history and more.

Kyoto: A Literary Guide video

A five minute guided tour through a selection of Kyoto's remarkable literary heritage.

Hōjōki – a Personal Response

On reading a new translation of Hōjōki by Matthew Stavros.

Book Review: Kyoto: A Literary Guide, edited by John Dougill

Dougill presents a new work that he edited that takes the reader on a literary journey through 12 centuries of Kyoto.

Kyoto Journal update Dec. 2020

Kyoto Journal announcement with content description.

Book Review: Finding the Heart Sutra: Guided by a Magician, an Art Collector and Buddhist Sages from Tibet to Japan, by Alex Kerr

An energizing read on the Heart Sutra is reviewed.

Sōseki’s Kyoto Haibun

Commentary and translation of a work by Sōseki on Kyoto.

Book Review: A Zen Romance, by Deborah Bollinger Boehm

Dougill writes enthusiastically about a neglected work on Zen life in Kyoto.

Book Review: Cipangu, Golden Cipangu: Essays in Japanese History by Michael Hoffman

Dougill reviews and characterizes this book saying that "the pages of history come alive and glisten with appeal."

Book Review: Japanese Wood and Carpentry, Rustic and Refined, by Mechtild Mertz

A review that includes an abstract and author information.

WiK titles for World Book Day

A useful list of books published by WIK members.

Book Review: The Mad Kyoto Shoe Swapper and Other Short Stories, by Rebecca Otowa

A review of Otowa's collection of short stories on a range of topics and feelings.

Western writers in/on Kyoto

Foreign writers in Japan including both historical and contemporary writers.

Book Review: Tokyo: A Biography

Mansfield begins to make Tokyo accessible by illuminating its humble beginnings along with the innumerable setbacks throughout its growth.

Book Review: Autumn Light by Pico Iyer

Dougill reviews Pico Iyer's follow-up to The Lady and the Monk.

Book Review: Japanese Stone Gardens by Stephen Mansfield

Dougill reviews the work of Stephen Mansfield.

Encounters with Kyoto: WiK Anthology 3

Introduction and TOC for the Third WIK Anthology.

Book Review: Lovsic in Kyoto, by Jay Crystall and Catherine Lenox

Book review and the story behind the book.

Book Review: People Who Eat Darkness, by Richard Parry

Josh Yates reviews a true crime book by Richard Parry.

Book Review: Ghosts of the Tsunami by Richard Parry

Dougill reviews a book by Richard Parry on the Tohoku tsunami.

Book Review: Ryoma! The Life of Sakamoto Ryoma, by Shiba Ryotaro

A detailed review of a book on Sakamoto Ryoma, with photos.

Hearn’s Kyoto Stories 3: ‘Screen Maiden’

Commentary on a Lafcadio Hearn story.