The article below first appeared in Japan Review 33 (Special Issue: War, Tourism, and Modern Japan, 2019: p. 271–297) Down in a Hole: Dark Tourism, Haunted Places as Affective Meshworks, and the Obliteration of Korean Laborers in Contemporary Kyoto by Andrea DE ANTONI This article provides an analysis of the relation between tourists’ experiences, affect, and …Read More
Category: On Kyoto (Page 6 of 11)
Writings about Kyoto, whether by Japanese or foreign observers
by Cody Poulton It was the last weekend in February and I was eager to leave the house, which is generally colder and a good deal darker than outside at this time of year. When I suggested to my wife that we go on an outing, she remarked it was time to pay our respects …Read More
Kyoto Stage and Film Director Akira Nobuchiby Yuki Yamauchi “Yes, it has been a bad dream… but a beautiful one will begin.’ So ends Monna Vanna, a 1902 drama by Belgian playwright Maurice Maeterlinck. The phrase influenced Akira Nobuchi (1896-1968) so strongly that he contributed a short essay to his graduation yearbook, which ends as …Read More
John Dougill writes: This synopsis of a story from Shadowings (1900) is Part Four of a series covering Lafcadio Hearn’s stories set in Kyoto. (For the introduction to the series, mentioning Hearn’s visit to the city, please click here.) The title, ‘O-Kichi-Seiza Kudoki’, was taken by Hearn from a ballad that was sung by wandering …Read More
A Foreign Mom’s Journey Of Settling In Kansai Same country, different city, and a whole new ballgame By Kirsty Kawano | This article first appeared in Savvy Tokyo. Learning the ropes of living in Japan’s cultural capital can be tough. Two years ago my family relocated from Tokyo to Kyoto in line with my husband’s …Read More
Up now near the Kamogawa delta on the west bank of the river there are some large boards exhibiting black and white photos by local photographer, Kai Fusayoshi. whose name will be known to many because of his involvement with Honyarado coffee shop and Hachimonjiya bar. The blown-up photos cover the side of a building …Read More
by Chad Kohalyk A physical space for your inner self — reading a new translation of Hōjōki by Matthew Stavros My clearest memory of my grandfather is the little cot in his back room. Lying on his side, propped up on one elbow, he would spend hours on that folding metal bed with the thin …Read More
Hōjōki: seeking solace in the time of COVID A report by Jann Williams on the Zoom talk by Matthew Stavros (Nov 27, 2020) “The best way to understand the world today, is to hold up a mirror to the past.” Kamo no Chōmei (1155-1216 AD) wrote these prescient words in Hōjōki, the celebrated memoir of …Read More
Authors’ presentation and social event, Nov 15.Report by Felicity Tillack (photos by her unless otherwise stated) On a beautiful November Sunday afternoon in northern Kyoto city, the WiK members congregated for a special social and celebratory event. The main reason for the gathering was to support authors whose books were published in the time of …Read More
by Jann Williams There is one woman that connects me with Kyoto like no other. We met a few years ago at a gallery soiree and have been inseparable ever since. Hailing from different eras, different countries and different cultures, this apprentice geisha and I share an enduring bond. Both of our lives have been …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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