WiK Members Enjoyed a New Year’s Bowl of Tea – Jan. 7, 2024Written by Rebecca OtowaPhotos by Karen Lee Tawarayama and Kirsty Kawano Four guests from WiK were guided by fellow member Bruce Hamana (Hamana Sosei sensei), a tea master born in Hawaii, and teacher of the Urasenke tea school, to a New Year’s celebratory …Read More
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◆ THEME: Kyoto (English language submissions only)◆ DEADLINE: March 31st, 2024 (23:59 JST)◆ GENRE: Short Shorts (unpublished material only)◆ WORD LIMIT: 300 Words (to fit on a single page)◆ FORM: Short poems, character studies, essays, travel tips, whimsy, haiku sequence, haibun, wordplays, dialogue, experimental verse, etc. In short, anything that helps show the spirit of place in a fresh light. A clear connection to Kyoto …Read More
Report by Felicity Greenland (all photos by her unless otherwise stated) John Dougill’s latest book, Off the Beaten Tracks in Japan: A Journey by Train from Hokkaido to Kyushu, was launched in Kyoto on Sunday November 19. The event was held at Irish Pub Gnome, with music by Quin Arbeitman on piano, and 35 guests …Read More
Malcolm Ledger lives in a remarkable house, a restored ryokan situated by a wooded mountain stream in Kyoto’s north-west. So special is the setting that the prestigious Aman franchise chose it for the location of their Kyoto hotel. Though billed as a maple-viewing party, the event was more of a socialising and networking occasion. The …Read More
A Flash of LightningOn Reading David Joiner’s The Heron CatchersReview by Rebecca Copeland Herons are lithe, elegant birds. Gliding over water, nesting in fields, or soaring through the air, the heron’s perceived ability to transcend the elements has led to fabulous fairytales, stately dances, and sublime paintings. Haiku poet Matsuo Bashō wrote verses about the …Read More
Book Review by Rebecca OtowaHidden Japan by Alex Kerr (Tuttle, 2023) The original Hidden Japan was in Japanese, titled Nippon Junrei, and this translation gives us another example of Alex Kerr’s stupendous literary, cultural and linguistic gifts. It comprises a description of journeys in 2017-2019 and is in a way an extension, or re-visitation, of …Read More
THE KIMONO TATTOO by Rebecca Copeland (Brother Mockingbird, 2021) Review by Rebecca Otowa June 2023 Many themes come together in this complex novel about a famous kimono, the design of which is transformed into a tattoo inscribed on a beautiful woman, the daughter of a famous kimono-designing family in Kyoto. The main character of the …Read More
On sale now from Amazon.com, Amazon.co.jp, and other Amazon marketplaces. Edited by Lisa Twaronite Sone & Robert WeisForeword by Pico Iyer The city of Kyoto has inspired awe in generations of travelers, writers and poets alike. In this anthology, 30 contributors explore the nature of the old capital: its gardens, mountains, old shrines and temples, …Read More
REPORT FOR WIK ON ALEX KERR’S TALK May 10, 2023Sponsored by KUAS (Kyoto University of Advanced Science)by Rebecca Otowa A capacity audience was on hand for a talk by Alex Kerr (in Japanese) entitled “Kankou ha Rikkoku ka?” (Will Tourism Lift Up the Country?) at Kyoto Hotel Granvia on May 10. At least three members …Read More
ANOTHER WORLD Report on a Lunchtime Talk by Cody Poulton, March 26, 2023By Rebecca Otowa Mark Cody Poulton (PhD, U of T) has been teaching Japanese language, literature and theatre in the Department of Pacific and Asian Studies since 1988. His recent research has focused on Japanese theatre and drama, particularly of the modern period. …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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