“Teddy and Daruma” by Allen S. Weiss Like the shaman from his cave, Teddy (yes, Teddy, my teddy bear!) finally emerged, resurrected after a hibernation of forty years, with what particular wisdom I cannot say. I have no idea if Teddy is an adept of Zen, but I am sure that the roly-poly Daruma who …Read More
Category: Featured Writings (Page 9 of 14)
Featured writing
Karen Lee Tawaryama has been interviewing Kyoto people on her blog, Kyoto Faces. In her latest piece she writes of the non-verbal long-running performance called GEAR, which in 2015 was voted on TripAdvisor one of the city’s best attractions! In the interview below, she questions Yoppy, one of the dance performers about the show and …Read More
In Chapter 6 of Kokoro (1896), Lafcadio Hearn writes of some of Kyoto’s sights, an unusual topic for a man who normally looked to folklore and tradition for insight into the culture of his adopted land. However, his belief that religion reveals the heart of the people comes across in the final part of the …Read More
Isil Bayraktar is one of only two paid-up members of WiK who are not native speakers of English. She comes from Turkey and while studying in Kyoto is working freelance for Turkish publications. She has been much taken with Kyoto’s literary heritage, drawing inspiration in her own unique way to write contemporary accounts of the …Read More
Notes from Himeji: Life on the Razor’s Edge Simon Rowe Sometimes good things can be found in the most unlikely places. For the best shave in my city, I go to the hospital. The Himeji Junkanki Centre Hospital, to be exact. This mysterious facility hides in the hills south of the train tracks and is …Read More
The following is one of a nine part Silk Road series of travel by train that will appear on Ted’s blog next month. A condensed version of the series is expected to be published in the travel section of a major newspaper later in the year. (All photos by the author; see here for his previous piece …Read More
The differences between Tokyo and Kyoto have often been commented on, though as far as I’m aware no one has addressed the effect this has on the writing that comes out of the two cities, particularly as regards the expatriate community. It’s with great pleasure therefore that we are able to offer a ground-breaking article …Read More
The Japan Times celebrated its 120th anniversary in style with a lively gathering at Cafe Maaru last weekend. As well as admin staff from its Tokyo office, in attendance were cultural attaches from the British, American and Australian consulates in Kansai, plus a number of writers, reporters and columnists. The whole event was put together …Read More
This Sunday is May 21st, which means that the popular flea market known as Kobo-san will be held at To-ji. It’s a busy bustling and packed affair, quite different from the To-ji which Gary Snyder depicts in his poem below. In a 2011 visit to Japan, at the age of 82, he recalled the Kyoto …Read More
Yamaguchi-san by Florentyna Leow, Malaysian student in Kyoto That’s a nice haori you’re wearing. Are you on an errand now? Taking photos? Come in. I’ll make you some matcha. I’m all alone anyway. Well, come on in. Sit here. I’m 104 years old, you know. 104. The doctor paid me a visit, right before you passed …Read More
Kyoto 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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