Mayumi Kawaharada writes: At the beginning of autumn, on a sunny day, I joined a volunteer event of fixing bamboo fences alongside the bamboo forests in Arashiyama. It was organised by a NPO called “People together for Mt. Ogura”. My haiku master , Stephen H Gill, is one of the cofounders of this group. They …Read More
Category: Featured Writers (Page 10 of 26)
Writers in focus
Report by Iris Reinbacher… On the evening of December 8, WiK held its bonenkai, a yearly tradition under the theme of “Words and Music” (for last year’s account, see here). We celebrated the old year, which not only brought a new era to Japan as a whole, but also proved to be a very successful …Read More
Self Introduction – Jay Crystall I was born in New York City in the 1960’s. And that’s where I spent my entire life before moving to Kyoto in February 2011, weeks before the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake. I never had designs on becoming a writer although I spent decades developing my musical style and songwriting. …Read More
Extract from a new novel by Ian Richards, published by Atuanui Press and entitled, Drongo: A Kiwi Road Novel. In which the hero, Andy, has hitched a ride with Mrs Macalister and her cat Silky. Though he has no license, Andy has convinced her to let him drive her car. Andy is 18 years old, …Read More
SELF INTRODUCTION by Mark Schumacher Wanna get tangled up and confused? Jump inside my mind. After twenty-five years of studying Japan’s divinities and demons, only now do I realize I’m in over my head. Japanese religious studies is not just Japanese. It is the study of Hinduism, Taoism, Confucianism, yin-yang theories, zodiac cosmology, star worship, …Read More
The Abyss I’m standing quite still on the edge of an abyss,As wide and as deep as the heart itself is,And though I’ve not noticed its vastness till now,I know it’s been there since before time began. And now that I’ve seen it, I can’t run away,For it opens wherever I go,Yawning and gaping, like …Read More
Protection and Promotion — Striking a Balance Heritage and Tourism Symposium, November 8, 2019 by Rebecca Otowa This past November 8, Writers in Kyoto hosted the Heritage and Tourism Symposium with four guest speakers. Over 80 people attended the event, including WiK members and concerned members of the general public, and many interesting points …Read More
THE HORNED GODby Marianne Kimura No one knew how the statue of the horned god had gotten to the end of the broken desolate peninsula encased in the shambles of soggy, broken concrete. This spot, among rubble and weeds, with stark frames of defunct gigantic towers and their staring, blank and open windows, wasn’t a …Read More
Anyone doing research on Japanese culture, and on Japanese religion in particular, will be familiar with Mark Schumacher’s A-Z Photo Dictionary of Buddhism and Shinto in Japan. It’s an invaluable resource, acknowledged overseas by scholars and museums. On October 4 Writers in Kyoto was fortunate to host its creator at a dinner talk when he …Read More
A life in writingHow do you make sense of the world if you’re restless by nature and always on the move? Over lunch at Kyoto University’s French restaurant, Stephen Mansfield gave an elegant and entertaining response. When he was just 15 he hitchhiked from the UK to Yugoslavia, and while still young made trips outside …Read More
WiK Writing Competition
WiK Anthologies
The Nature of Kyoto (2023)
Eds. Lisa Twaronite Sone & Robert Weis
Foreword by Pico Iyer
Structures of Kyoto (2021)
Eds: Rebecca Otowa & Karen Lee Tawarayama
Foreword by Judith Clancy
Encounters with Kyoto (2019)
Eds: Jann Williams & Ian Josh Yates
Foreword by Juliet Winters Carpenter
Echoes (2017)
Eds: John Dougill, Amy Chavez, & Mark Richardson
Preface by Alex Kerr
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