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Celebrating the ‘The Nature of Kyoto’

The Nature of Kyoto: Writers in Kyoto Anthology 5’ was launched in style on the grassy banks of the Kamogawa in Kyoto on Sunday, May 21st. In keeping with the theme, the riverside setting was perfect to celebrate this captivating collection of prose and poetry. Many of the 30 contributors to the Anthology were able to attend, some with family members. The presence of the co-editors, Lisa Twaronite Sone and Robert Weis, based in Tokyo and Luxembourg respectively, and Rick Elizaga, who designed and published the Anthology, created an extra special event. 

Above: Photographs tell the story of a stimulating and uplifting meeting of writers, in Kyoto, that continued until after dark. Contributing photographers are Karen Lee Tawarayama, Kirsty Kawano, Alessandro de Bellegarde and myself.

Lisa Twaronite Sone was the mastermind behind the outdoor, picnic-style occasion — the ‘WiKNiK’ as she named it. Her superb organisation ensured a wonderful time was enjoyed by all. Several members were meeting each other for the first time after the lifting of the extended COVID-induced isolation. The creative energy among the group, enhanced by the natural surroundings, was electrifying. The feeling of camaraderie generated by the launch and of a job well done bodes well for Writers in Kyoto. 

book cover: The Nature of Kyoto: Writers in Kyoto Anthology 5

The Anthology is available through Amazon in a number of countries. The Foreword by Pico Iyer sets the scene for varied interpretations of the nature of Kyoto, several with a contemplative theme. Responses to change, both local (loss of old houses) and global (the changing climate), permeates a number of contributions. The less benign aspects of nature also receive attention. Initial feedback has been highly positive. So if you haven’t done so, place an order now. 

It has been a pleasure to be involved in the production of this important literary work.

Jann Williams, Anthology Supervisor

The Nature of Kyoto: Writers in Kyoto Anthology 5

On sale now from Amazon.com, Amazon.co.jp, and other Amazon marketplaces.

Edited by Lisa Twaronite Sone & Robert Weis
Foreword 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, but also the inner nature or the soul of the city.

“The minute you step into Japan’s thousand-year capital, it’s hard not to start putting things into words. Yes, the train station where you arrived is a wild 22nd century labyrinth and the streets are dizzy with streaking lights and high-rise ‘pencil buildings.’ Nowhere is more madly in love with the latest and the fashionable. Yet everywhere, it’s not difficult to see, are spirits alive in the hills, and around the sixteen hundred temples, as close to you as the winter chill on your neck.”

Pico iyer

Contents

・Foreword: The Rain upon the Rooftops Pico Iyer

・Kyoto: Different Forms of Hypnosis Stephen Mansfield

・The Pocket Garden Rebecca Otowa

・Lotus 蓮 John Einarsen

・Love on a Low Flame Amanda Huggins

・The Graveyard of Homyo-in Everett Kennedy Brown

・Sudden Tsukimi C. Greenstreet

・For Love of the Octopus God Elaine Lies

・Peeks on Danger Edward J. Taylor

・For the Visitors Felicity Tillack

・Nature is Trying to Kill You Fernando Torres

・Restaurant Boer Hans Brinckmann

・The Nature of Kyoto: 1006 vs 2006 Hamish Downie

・The Revived Waterway Iris Reinbacher

・Kyoto: City of Fire and Water Jann Williams

・Vignettes, Interrupted John Dougill

・Food for Thought and for the Thoughtful Julian Holmes

・Recollections of Nature, Neighbors, and Nibbles Karen Lee Tawarayama

・Local News Ken Rodgers

・Nashinoki Shrine Makes Lifestyle Changes Kirsty Kawano

・Summer Rain Lisa Twaronite Sone

・Sudou Shrine Malcolm Ledger

・The Watcher Maria Danuco

・”Keywords” of Kyoto Mayumi Kawaharada

・The Hills of Kyoto Patrick Colgan

・Kyotoyana Preston Keido Houser

・Thinking Kyoto like a Mountain Robert Weis

・Kyoto Time Stephen Benfey

・The Promise Tetiana Korchuk

・Sound Travels Tina deBellegarde

・Kyoto’s Nature versus My Apiphobia Yuki Yamauchi

Please visit this page in the future for related reviews and other coverage. For press-related inquiries concerning The Nature of Kyoto, please contact Writers in Kyoto through our online form.

Yamabuki Prize — Isabelle Wei (Eighth Annual Kyoto Writing Competition)

From the Judges:
“This is a masterly collection of artful vignettes concerning food and the relationship between an aging mother and her daughter, which also harmonizes life with nature. An iconic structure provides a loose backdrop for a warm, emotional glimpse at the closest of relationships. A central image is oyakodon (literally “parent and child”) — a rice bowl meal made with chicken and eggs. The shadows of aging and dementia are simultaneously woven as dark threads, contrasting the silver and golden threads of moon and eggs. The relationship is multi-layered and bittersweet, spanning years and the bridging of cultures, and finally coming full circle.”

*  *  *

Togetsukyo Bridge in the Rain

We met at a restaurant by the Katsura River, ordered hot yudofu served in donabe pots, and spoke in hushed tones, spilling breath. It was late afternoon. The air pulsed, soaked and running over with light flakes of snow, slipping in the feeble sun. This was rain in its entirety—trees, flowers, sifting air. I watched my mother spoon matcha into a porcelain tea bowl.

She stopped recognizing me months ago, and yet, I couldn’t let go.

I sat across from her, browsing through dishes of wagashi. Sometimes she called my name, her voice a taut thread, as though the word musume would snap it in half. But it held firm—an anchor.

Moments passed. A waiter brought oyakodon on bamboo trays. My mother nodded—you-me bowl, she used to call it, meaning mother and daughter, or yummy, but always pronouncing yumi, my name.

We lingered in the restaurant, watching the falling rain hit the river in gleams. I asked my mother to write something in Japanese, a language I had let wash away during my years abroad, a language that sounded like water hitting the belly of a barque.

I watched her pen as it stirred, a dark shape, and her fingers, shading the page. I watched the picture letters turn silver, carrying the weight of snowflakes whisked wayward, the window of pure falling—words made from meaning: yuki, she wrote. Snow. Happiness.

Months later my mother slept alone on a bed as white as snow or fresh-cooked rice. I sat beside her. Our hearts throbbed, our eyes closed. Words rose like loaves of bread, growing lighter with every passing breath—aging.

Seasons gathered back up into the calendar. I thought of the moon crossing bridge: the full moon of a gold egg yolk, intensely flooding us—

Mother and daughter as Oyakodon.

Photo Credit: Ryutaro Tsukata

*  *  *
Isabelle Wei is a writer and literary editor. She loves poetry, pastries, and painting, although not necessarily in that order. In her spare time, she enjoys writing and reading stories that reflect her love for the natural world.

For the full list of this year’s competition winners, click here.
For the original competition notice (with prize details), click here.

Kyoto City Mayoral Prize – Amanda Huggins (Eighth Annual Kyoto Writing Competition)

From the Judges:
“In this atmospheric piece, the seemingly unseen is made palpable. Evocative prose and supernatural implications draw the reader in, perhaps causing the heart to beat faster. One also gets a hint of Kyoto’s eerie qualities in the snow. Kyoto is, after all, a city of ghost stories. With an air of mystery, “The Knife Salesman” seems to straddle time, as does the city itself. The judges were reminded of Tanizaki Junichiro’s work.”

*  *  *

The Knife Salesman

When Yumi wakes, the inn is mute beneath winter’s first snowfall and the light is heavy with the peculiar stillness it brings.
She thinks of the knife salesman from Kochi, always noticing his absence more keenly when the snow arrives, still steadfast in her belief he will return to Kyoto.

It was the year her parents died when he first stayed at the inn; she’d struggled to get everything running smoothly at first, but he was patient with her clumsy mistakes.
He reappeared for the Jidai Matsuri and asked her to accompany him, then for a piano recital and the spring blossom. Yumi began to hope he would propose marriage, yet the staff sounded puzzled whenever she talked excitedly about him. ‘Mr Omote? No, I don’t think I’ve actually met him.’ Each time he left, they found his allocated room untouched, but they remained discreet.
The final time he stayed, Yumi was woken early by the rattle of the front door. Snow swirled softly, and a lantern across the street illuminated a line of fresh footprints leading away from the inn towards Kawaramachi station. They came to an abrupt halt at the FamilyMart, as though their creator had disappeared into thin air.
Yumi went outside and stepped inside each footprint as far as the store. At the crossroads, an unmarked ribbon of white stretched in every direction.
She never heard from the knife salesman again.

Yet this morning, there are footprints leading to the inn door. They start in the centre of the street, as if their maker has fallen straight from the sky.
As Yumi stares at them from the window, the air stirs, then stills itself. Someone has crossed the room and stopped at her side. A finger strokes the nape of her neck.
‘You’re back,’ she whispers.

Photo Credit: Moollyem (Sourced from Unsplash)

*  *  *

Amanda Huggins is the author of the award-winning novellas All Our Squandered Beauty and Crossing the Lines and seven collections of short stories and poetry. She has won numerous prizes for her work, including the Colm Tóibín Short Story Award, the H E Bates Short Story Prize and the BGTW New Travel Writer of the Year. She has also been a runner-up in the Harper’s Bazaar Short Story Competition, the Costa Short Story Award and the Fish Short Story Prize and shortlisted for the Bridport Prize and others. Her fiction has been broadcast several times on BBC Radio.

For the full list of this year’s competition winners, click here.
For the original competition notice (with prize details), click here.

Exploring the nature of Kyoto through Shinrin Yoku

Jann Williams
May 14, 2023

Photos by Jann Williams

A yellow caterpillar inspires poetry, a heart is opened, elusive scents are pursued, the sense of touch is playfully explored, a TikTok video is born, lives are changed.

These instinctive and creative responses were evoked by an invitation to discover the beauty and wonder of nature, amidst the verdant forest foliage of Takaragaike Park in northern Kyoto. Skillfully guided by Milena Guziak, a Shinrin Yoku (forest bathing) expert, the wellbeing benefits of deeply connecting to the natural world came to the fore in a special Writers in Kyoto (WiK) event held on May 14, 2023. As a member of the group it was a pleasure to take part.

Seven of us met in the morning at Kokusaikaikan Station on the Karasuma Subway line, followed by a short walk to a park bench surrounded by forest. The station was opened in 1997, just prior to the Kyoto Protocol meeting convened in the nearby International Conference Centre. Running the forest bathing experience close to where global leaders first debated the reduction of greenhouse gases seemed apt. It reinforces the continuing urgent need to tackle climate change, even more so now, and the importance of thinking globally and acting locally.

Our forest bathing activities were extremely local. Each of us selected a place or places in the forest that best matched the guidance we had received in our invitations from Milena. Other participants had specific subjects to focus their attention on – wind, smell, touch, colour and heaven – while my invitation was an experience of presence, a moment to cherish the intricacies of the world around me. Our different encounters were revealed and shared after we had spent time in the forest. The illuminating exchange illustrated how even a short time spent in nature (40 minutes in this case) can enrich the appreciation of its beauty and intricacy.

Shinrin Yoku is designed to reconnect people with nature through being mindful of one’s senses, help them bring the practice into their daily lives, and ultimately encourage pro-conservation behaviour. The term was coined by the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries in 1982. Forest bathing was and is prescribed in Japan as an antidote for people living in stressful environments as well as a potential tool to inspire people to protect the countries forests.

Slowing down and being mindful of nature can be an immense source of inspiration for people to create works of art. Bathing in the forest and observing what was around him energised one participant to compose the following poem.

‘Colours’
Brown, brown the forest floor
Green, green the new leaf growth
The tree before me dappled grey
And there amongst the fallen leaves
Busy black ants foraging

But wait–
Bright yellow on this overcast day
Ungainly movement, back arched upwards
Concertina caterpillar
Tasty morsel for birds on high
You too are part of nature
You too are part of me

(With thanks to Alan Watts)

Since the early 80s multiple studies around the world have demonstrated the physical and mental health benefits of spending time in a forest or other natural setting, or even looking at greenery such as in a hospital setting. The related practice of forest therapy (Shinrin Ryoho), also developed in Japan, is designed to address the health of both people and forests. Working in the forest to improve its health has been shown to be therapeutic on many levels. There is an urban variant of Shinrin Yoku as well. Designing different programs for different places and different people is a hallmark of this mindfulness practice.

The approach to Shinrin Yoku taken by Milena through her company ‘The Mindful Tourist’ is firmly based on the latest research. She has a PhD in Engineering and an MSc in psychology and is in contact with many of the key researchers in the nature therapy/mindfulness field. Milena spoke of the Nature Connectedness Research Group at the University of Derby she has links with, and the smartphone app they have designed. The group also runs an online course intended to help improve people’s wellbeing through establishing a new relationship with nature and tackle larger issues such as climate change.

Milena‘s greatest love though is to be one with the forest. The training she provides to new Shinrin Yoku guides is permeated with the deep emotional connection to nature she has developed over recent years. Her life has been transformed since I last saw her in Kyoto over 4 years ago. Our interests have converged over the intervening period. The animated group discussion she led covered topics such as nature contact versus nature connections, the strengths and weaknesses of virtual reality and plantation-based nature experiences, phytocites and other beneficial compounds, biophilia, the pros and cons of smart phones for forest bathing, and the importance of ‘being’ rather than ‘doing’.

The timing of this members-only event was perfectly aligned with the publication of ‘The Nature of Kyoto’, the fifth WiK Anthology. John Dougill, Mark Hovane, Ted Taylor, Marianne Kimura, Mayumi Kawaharada and myself were grateful for the opportunity to experience forest bathing in the ancient capital prior to the Anthology launch on May 21st. A big thank-you to Milena (centre, photo below) for so generously giving her time and expertise and for sharing her sense of wonder.

Links:

The Mindful Tourist (Milena’s Company): https://themindfultourist.net

For Milena’s forest-inspired poetry: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=milena+guziak&crid=258CEJQG98JEQ&sprefix=milena+guziak%2Caps%2C226&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

University of Derby online Nature Connectedness and climate change course: https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/nature-connectedness-derby

The Nature of Kyoto (2023) (this link is to the Amazon US site; the WiK Anthology is also available through other Amazon country portals, including Japan and Australia): https://www.amazon.com/Nature-Kyoto-Writers-Anthology/dp/B0C47JCVDM

ALEX KERR’S TALK ABOUT TOURISM

REPORT FOR WIK ON ALEX KERR’S TALK May 10, 2023
Sponsored by KUAS (Kyoto University of Advanced Science)
by Rebecca Otowa

Alex talks to members of WiK, Rebecca Otowa, Karen Lee Tawarayama and Mayumi Kawaharada

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 of WiK were present.

One of our most prestigious members, Alex Kerr wears many hats — expert on things Japanese, promoter of using old buildings, writer of many books in English and Japanese particularly about changes he has seen in the country and its fast-disappearing traditions, and now (from April) professor at KUAS. He was on the panel of the WiK Symposium on Heritage and Tourism in November 2019, at which he made several similar points to the ones he made in this talk. His ideas about the management of tourism in Japan are known from his Japanese-language book Kankou Boukokuron (The Destruction of the Country by Tourism, ). The title is a play on words of the Ministry of Tourism’s 2015 slogan, Kankou Rikkoku (The Uplifting of the Country by Tourism) and the subsequent drastic increase in tourists in the years leading up to 2020.

We all know how that turned out — COVID-19 struck and there was a (blessed) respite during 2020-2022. You could visit Fushimi Inari Shrine and actually see down the empty vermilion corridors of torii gates! Other sections of Kyoto had a dreamlike quality in their emptiness. But no longer. As of 2023, the numbers are right back up where they were before — around the 31 million mark — and during the quiet time, when policies could have been put in train to prepare for the inevitable influx, little was done. Thus Alex’s book, even post-COVID, still has a great deal of relevance, as his talk on this occasion and also his on-stage conversation with Yoshinori Sato, head of the Jinbun Gakubu (humanities department) of KUAS and supervisor of the newly instituted “Tourism course” at the University, attested.

First off, it is important to know that sheer numbers of tourists are not really the issue (many countries have a higher head count) and also PR is not the issue — it is well-known that Japan is at the top of the list for travelers worldwide, with a number of PR-related sites, YouTube videos, etc. What is key now is how to manage the activities of the people who come to Japan, and Kyoto, as tourists.

Alex made the following points.
* Is “convenience” important? If a large parking lot for cars and buses is built right next to an important tourist site, it deprives tourists of the chance to see the traditional road leading up to the site, with its shops and amenities. It seems certain that pedestrians spend more and have a more intimate experience with a place than people in cars or buses. Why not close, say, Shijo Street to traffic once in a while and have a pedestrian-only experience? That was one suggestion. “Convenience” in the form of proximity of parking to sites is not always best.

* Utilizing technology — especially in the form of an online reservation system, such as is practiced in many parts of Europe, to ensure that sites do not become overcrowded and thus provide a less than optimal experience.

* Rethinking the value of the tourist experience (as opposed to the present completely egalitarian method of allowing anyone, in any number, to visit if they have paid a nominal fee). Some sites are worth more, and those who really wish to visit those sites, not necessarily those who just want to take a selfie in front of it, then move on to the next, will pay a more realistic amount to do so. The example given was climbing Mt. Fuji, which presently costs only \1000, and the path is fatally overcrowded. (Alex said that an estimated 90% of people climb this most sacred mountain of Japan without thinking of the sacred aspect at all, but simply because it is the highest mountain in the country. I personally found this appalling.)

Now the tourist market is full of ideas for making things more comfortable, cheaper, and more convenient for the tourist; but what if the opposite was the case? What if people who manage sites think, do we want and need this many tourists? What about the ambiance or atmosphere, which is ruined when too many people are milling around? Perhaps it’s time to think of the content of culture itself. And to revisit the notion of Quality (of the experience) being valued over Quantity (of people coming through the gates).

A corollary to this is the rather unusual viewpoint, put forward by Alex, that as a tourist, one should consider whether the site actually needs one’s visit. To this end, one method would be to have tourists visit comparable sites that perhaps are not featured on every website and YouTube video about Japan, but still offer a great experience and which monetarily need the visit more. (I think everyone who lives in Japan, and especially Kyoto, has their secret “best sites” list, which they share only with good friends.) It isn’t necessary for every temple, shrine, view, etc. to be appropriated by crowds of tourists, but a few more visits to some of them might help these sites immeasurably.

* Problem of zero-dollar tourism, in which tourists pay for tours, hotels, meals etc. to people from their own country, not Japan, who run these establishments. No money is transferred to the economy of Japan with this system.

* Various actual examples of issues that Alex feels need to be considered with boots-on-the-ground tourism include:

*Bad signage, including multiple signs that say the same thing (e.g. “Please
take off your shoes”) cluttering up the view. Also ugly signage, which is
simply not necessary. There are many less intrusive options available.

*How to alert people to the manners appropriate to a site. (I remember in
Rome back in the day, women were stopped on the steps of St. Peter’s if
their clothing was deemed inappropriate by the monitoring nuns.) Signs
that just say “No this, no that” are not effective, even in pictorial form.

*Trees that are pruned and lopped in an ugly manner. This gives a negative
impression of the famed Japanese love of nature. (I myself have lobbied for years in local government for better treatment of trees, hedges, etc. which were planted by the government and then mistreated in these ways.)

After a break, Alex was joined on the stage by Yoshinori Sato, to have a conversation about these issues. There was also a Q&A, which was curtailed due to time pressure.

Thanks very much to KUAS for hosting such an important event. I hope very much that ideas coming from such a forward-thinking institution will make a difference to the handling of tourism in Kyoto in the coming months and years. At present, as Prof. Sato said, there is no actual Tourism Department in the University, but he pointed out the necessity of such a department in the future, and Alex agreed. Also, today’s seminar could be extended into a whole series which would provide more of an education on these matters.

Thanks also to Alex Kerr for taking up and making visible some things that probably many more sensitive foreign tourists notice during their visit, and may, if not considered and changed, end up having a deleterious effect on tourism in Japan. There was rueful laughter among the audience members when some of the Powerpoint photos, particularly those of signage and trees, came up on the screen.

This is a matter of national pride in perhaps a manner not always thought of — the real value of these sites and their preservation into the future, not for people who think of Japan as a large version of Disneyland, but for those, including Japanese people, who love and value this country and culture and their place in the world.

Cover of Alex’s book, Kankou Boukokuron

Tofu, Thank You

by Stephen Benfy

John and Eri had just moved into their new apartment on the edge of town when a sound caught John’s ear.

“I’ve never heard that before,” he said.

Eri looked up from her phone, smiled, and went back to chatting with a friend.

John slipped on his shoes.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

The fraying edge of rural life was patched with farmland. Roadside stands sold cabbage, broccoli, melons, on the honor system. John had noticed only one paddy field. There, in the shade of a gnarled plum tree, three obaa-sans, grandmas, sipped tea and nibbled rice crackers. Their paddy was no larger than John’s boyhood backyard, but it probably filled the women’s rice bowls, year-in and out.

Before the move, John and Eri had known only one street hawker. His roasted sweet potatoes had been a winter treat in the city.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

They called him Ojii-san. It’s what they called every man his age.

As he pedaled slowly along the route he had plied since high school he scanned the street for his regulars. Nobody. Ojii-san tooted his horn. To the Japanese ear it sang out “to — fu — .”

__________________________________________________________________________________________

In the distance, John saw a lanky man on a black bicycle. A large wooden box was lashed to its rear carrier. The man raised a toy-like horn to his mouth.

Down the street a neighbor appeared, waiting.

The lanky man braked, hefted his bike onto its stand, and sold her something from the wooden box.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Ojii-san made two batches of tofu every morning. The first was for the shop. The second for afternoon delivery. Just enough not to overload the wooden tub he strapped to the back of his bicycle. He had been a teenager when the box’s weight had flipped the bike on its side. The tongue lashing his father had meted out remained, a ghost at the edge of consciousness, watching, judging … yet receding. Its intrusions, though rare, whet Ojii-san’s resentment, setting him counting the steps remaining before the scowling face toppled into the abyss.

Now he was the father and the grandfather, the Ojii-san.

His father had been the eleventh generation of tofu makers of the Shimadera Clan. Ojii-san was the twelfth. None of his children wanted to be the thirteenth. Maybe one of his four grandchildren would step up. Wishful thinking.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

“So …?” Eri said as John slipped off his shoes.

“Hard to tell. Old guy riding a bike. Toots a tin horn. Sells something from a wooden box.”

“I thought so,” Eri said.

“You thought that he was riding a bike with a wooden box on back?”

Eri’s eyes narrowed. “He’s a tofu seller. Why didn’t you buy some?”

John clicked his tongue. “I wasn’t carrying any cash. Besides, I was too far away to see what it was.”

“Seriously? Didn’t you hear his horn?”

“Sounds like a French police car.”

“Sounds like ‘to — fu — ’,” Eri corrected him.

John sighed.

“Next time, buy some; understand?”

John turned away, found the newspaper and hid behind it. Eri loved tofu.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Ojii-san’s children nagged him to quit the delivery route. He was nearly 80. What if a car shot out of a side lane? How could he veer away without losing his balance? What if he fell and broke a hip? He’d be bedridden, a burden.

All true, he had to admit. But nothing could erase his debt to his customers. He owed these people his life — allowing him to marry, raise children, and teach them to be honest and considerate adults.

Why couldn’t his children see the truth — that what he made and sold wasn’t a product? The way he made tofu, it was a link in a virtuous circle — the way the forces of the universe made the world go round.

Maybe if they had studied tea ceremony longer instead of following their friends to cram school. Then maybe they would have grasped Lao-Tzu’s words from the eighth hexagram of the I-Ching — Be like water, providing for people without competing, 上善如水 — the wisdom on the scroll above the shop’s counter — brushstrokes of a long-ago Shimadera grandmother, bold and fluid.

No. His children would listen to a Chinese sage the way they listened to Ojii-san himself — politely but not seriously.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

It was a rainy day when John and Eri heard it again. To-fu-.

When John caught up, one woman was already buying. The lanky man in the navy blue poncho scooped a block of tofu from the tub, bagged it, and took a few coins. Then he bowed and said doumo arigatou gozaimasu. Thank you very much.

John was thunderstruck.

The tofu man waited for the dazed foreigner to say something.

“One block of tofu, please.”

Receiving the bagged tofu, John readied himself to listen, really listen.

Doumo arigatou gozaimasu.

The tofu man’s words sent a shiver through John’s body, a shining clarity that washed to his bones. It was as if the man had said, “This tofu — solid yet fragile like life itself — has brought us together. Savor it with your soul, and you will have good, honest tofu for as long as I live.”

This was to “Thank you” as “I’m blown away” is to “Interesting!”

A door opened in John’s mind. “From the bottom of my heart” wasn’t a turn of phrase, a shorthand for sincerity, but a dimension of reality he needed to explore, just as he was exploring his new neighborhood.

The way the tofu man said it, “Doumo arigatou gozaimasu” was no platitude. It had attitude. It drew a line in the sand.

The old man on the bicycle did not care for platitudes. If you don’t feel gratitude, your voice will betray you. The idea of platitudes as social graces slandered life itself. It was worse than factory-made tofu.

There is a saying: don’t let tofu travel – 豆腐に旅はさせるな. In Ojii-san’s mind, factory tofu couldn’t be real tofu — not if it could survive distribution to supermarkets. They must be using refined coagulants and additives. They were cheating the customer out of flavor.

The Shimadera family insisted on doing things the old way, the real way, using 100% nigari — the non-salty part of sea salt.

Curdling soy milk was so easy, anyone could make tofu. Just add vinegar. Why not?

But nigari won’t cooperate with just anyone. It bows to the worthy — those who have transmuted the dry soybeans, hard as rocks, into svelte white slabs softer than jello — day after day — month after month — year after year — until the tofu gods smile. To those acolytes, the deities reveal tofu’s calculus and bestow a feel for its variables: humidity, temperature, timing, water, nigari, soybeans; and the special knack of stirring the mixture of nigari and soy milk.

The reward is in the flavor. Real nigari tofu tastes like food, not diet food. You don’t want to stop eating it.

The curds are poured into molds and weighted to squeeze out the liquid, just as you separate the curds and whey in cheese-making.

Eri tasted the tofu and smiled. She thanked John for buying it. Her’s wasn’t the thank you of the tofu man but it, too, made John happy.

____________________________________

Stephen Benfey’s homepage with examples of his short stories can be found here. For his short story on gardening and rocks, see here. For a New Year story, click here. For his piece on foxes, see here. For Gaiji’s Redemption, click here.

Eighth Annual Kyoto Writing Competition Results

Greetings from Japan’s ancient capital.

Mid-May has arrived, and with it the long-awaited results of this year’s Kyoto Writing Competition. Our judges received submissions from writers throughout the world, and we would like to offer our heartfelt appreciation to all who chose to participate. Above all, we were reminded of how so many feel a great connection to Kyoto, whether they are in Japan or overseas. The city’s essence touches us all.

While settling on the final prizewinners was a difficult task, the results of the Eighth Annual Kyoto Writing Competition are as follows, with judges’ comments. The full text of each will be posted on this website in due course. In the meantime, let’s extend our warm congratulations to those listed below. The original competition announcement and explanation of prizes can be found here.

Kyoto City Mayoral Prize

The Knife Salesman by Amanda Huggins

In this atmospheric piece, the seemingly unseen is made palpable. Evocative prose and supernatural implications draw the reader in, perhaps causing the heart to beat faster. One also gets a hint of Kyoto’s eerie qualities in the snow. Kyoto is, after all, a city of ghost stories. With an air of mystery, “The Knife Salesman” seems to straddle time, as does the city itself. The judges were reminded of Tanizaki Junichiro’s work.

Yamabuki Prize

Togetsukyo Bridge in the Rainby Isabelle Wei

This is a masterly collection of artful vignettes concerning food and the relationship between an aging mother and her daughter, which also harmonizes life with nature. An iconic structure provides a loose backdrop for a warm, emotional glimpse at the closest of relationships. A central image is oyakodon (literally “parent and child”) — a rice bowl meal made with chicken and eggs. The shadows of aging and dementia are simultaneously woven as dark threads, contrasting the silver and golden threads of moon and eggs. The relationship is multi-layered and bittersweet, spanning years and the bridging of cultures, and finally coming full circle. 

Unohana Prize

A Foreign Visitor” by Mai Ishikawa

Nascent love is the theme of this vignette. In the end we find out where this love took the writer, and the reader can appreciate how the memory is cherished years later in a home away from Japan. Each sense of place blends into the other, creating a whole. Kyoto is a city in which one catches a glimpse of many couples. “A Foreign Visitor” speaks to the romance of the city and its gentle whispers of love and serendipity. Well-envisioned and communicating lovely images, the mood is simple and flowing, with the couple’s budding affection embraced by Kyoto’s atmosphere.

Writers in Kyoto Member Prize

Trying to Understand by Kirsty Kawano

As it is so often with writings set in Kyoto, “Trying to Understand” depicts a journey of inquiry and discovery. Many of us hope our experiences in the city will lead to a deeper and more profound understanding of life. This is something that everyone in a foreign place, looking for answers to life’s conundrums, has felt. This piece shows us how to listen to the subtle music of Kyoto which imparts a message of inspiration. Kyoto is particularly fertile ground, providing so many venues and moments for subtle reflection. Kyoto trains us to read between the lines and reveals metaphors for a more mindful life, a lesson effectively captured within.

Local Kyoto Prize

Umbrella Store by Carter Hale

In this piece, the reader is moved through three distinct but complementary scenarios, all quintessentially Kyotoesque: the herons along the Kamo River, the Miyako Odori, and the deep-rooted pleasantries which oil the local social life. The performative aspect of the city is explored in a creative and slightly mystical way. In a sense, this is a series of three word-pictures, the last of which is an ancient umbrella shop. The description of the mossy old wooden sign will give a thrill of recognition to anyone who has glimpsed such signs around the city. They are disappearing, but some are still there to be discovered.

USA Prize

Butterflyby Anne Roskowski

Kimonos can’t speak — not beyond their symbols and designs — or can they? Upon reading this beautiful story, which carries the generous feeling of a ritual, the judges noted that the serenity of both Buddhist temples and silk kimono are parallel. An unusual viewpoint brings to life the story of a young girl’s relationship to her beloved garment, which honors her various rites of passage. Well-crafted images evoke detailed visions in the mind’s eye.

Honorable Mentions

“The Stones of Kyoto” by Jim Rion

“Evening Shift in Kiyamachi” by Ina Sanjana

“Site” by Jade du Preez

“no title – torii” by Richard Ferris

“Kansetsu Kiss (間接キス)” by Tina deBellegarde

Once again, congratulations to all! Gratitude is also due to the judges for their time, insights, sharing of feedback, and cooperation in the selection process.

For the official announcement and submission details of our next Kyoto Writing Competition (#9), please be sure to check our website in the middle of November 2023. If you have not yet shared your work with us, we encourage you to do so in the future. In the meantime, please return to our website to read each prizewinning piece from this year’s competition.

Writings about Kyoto, whether by Japanese or foreign observers

Sakura Zuihitsu

by Edward J Taylor

Blame it on the low yen, revenge travel, whatever, but our city found itself quite quickly under siege.  After three lean but pleasantly restful years, it was startling to encounter this many people in town, and to do so many consecutive days of guiding. 

I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with this city, have always questioned the amount of hype that it gets. But I’m happy to take on the work, and quite honestly it never bores me, even when returning for the nth time to sites that sit atop umpteen bucket lists.  I can easily put on the game face, introduce my guests to parts of the city that their friends back home will never see, places that never collect thumbs on social media platforms. Yet naturally I never share those places that I call my own.    

Since the autumn, I’d said yes to nearly every offer I got, disregarding the big picture, until I found I had allowed myself a mere five days off in six weeks. There were multiple trips to Tokyo, Kumano, Naoshima, the Nakasendo.  But mainly it was Kyoto, and its insane crowds. For the first time in this career, I found myself leading the same itinerary two days running. And the beer I needed, and I mean NEEDED, at the back end of every day, was inevitably followed by a shower to wash away the crowds.  As the weeks wore on, I was growing weary of the same meet and greet every few days, of telling the same stories and forgetting what I’d already told.

The days and the highlights are all jumbled up. The punters staking out party spots early Sunday morning. The foreign joggers reducing last night’s Michelin caloritic intake with every heavy footfall.  The flattened-light effect of the yellow Gobi sand. Rubbish towering above metal trash bins along the river.  Drive times and queues doubled, tripled, exponentially lengthened.  The lousy boy band under Shijo bridge, two nights running.  Seeing, or being sighted by other guide friends, out on their own respective missions.  Photographers striking their own yoga poses to frame out all the others doing the exact same thing.  A western couple sipping wine on the narrow back balcony of a Pontocho eatery, who give me a wave as I zip past on my bicycle, with an envious smile on my face. 

What saved me were the calm of the mornings before going into combat.  I’d leave early to sit quietly by myself on the river.  It reminded me of that summer after I’d finished university, the calm stillness of a morning after a heavy mushroom trip, sitting in a children’s playground, squeezing cool sand between my toes and not quite sure if the mental turbulence was finally past.  

I passed these quiet mornings of spring reading a book or simply listening to Bob Dylan through the iPod and watching the early risers go by, framed by the curtain of pink.  In fact this is the only recollection I have of my even acknowledging  the petals, even though they, and the eyes and the cameras pointed toward them, were everywhere. 

Then that peace would be broken by the phone call of my driver for the day, seeking confirmation to appease his or her own insecurities.  This was my signal to saddle up and rejoin the fray.  

Yet it was on one of these mornings, the very first, that I saw something that brought this all into perspective.  At the Kamogawa confluence, I am briefly puzzled by the sight of a guy slaloming down the slope on an odd-looking bicycle, until I spot his paramedic partner frantically giving CPR.  He kneels beside a man who can’t be more than thirty.  I wonder if he overdrank himself into this state and was found here this morning.  Or if he took a hard fall from the bicycle spilled atop the grass beside him.  But it is his expressionless face, and the furious pumping of the paramedic’s arms, and the raised hands framing the horror stricken face of the foreign tourist straddling her rental bike, that hint that this has been going on awhile, and nothing is going to get his heart started again.  

It is this image that stands out most from what had been a very long tour season, which somehow neutralizes all the joy and wonder and frustration I saw on other, uncountable faces over numerous weeks, faces drawn to this city in pursuit of metaphors for the ephemeral, as if this pursuit can somehow stave off the real thing.

(Photos by Edward J Taylor)

Authors who belong to Writers in Kyoto

Prayer –From tears to smiles—

Haiku and photos by Mayumi Kawaharada

Winter


Interminable queues
of displaced people—                                                
blizzard-ridden road                                                      
 
Mother and baby                                                        
carried off by the attacks—                                       
trampled winter roses                                                  
 
 War turns gentle siblings                             
into crazed soldiers—                                  
a frozen battlefield                                                    
 
 Soldiers loot,                                                              
for their loved ones…                                                
furious snowstorm                                                       
 
A doll in red                                                                
on a muddy snowmelt road —                            
immobilized tanks                                                         
 
Raging winter rain                                                      
to the ashen landscape—                            
endless tears                                                               
 
Evacuees’ singing                                               
echoes through the frozen air—                  
the Snow Queen’s “Let it go” 

Spring

 
The spring sun   
to both Ukraine and Russia—
more tears, more sorrows
 
Even plant buds             
have been scorched—                                        
silent devastation                                                      
 
Spring rain—                                                    
the shattered dreams of                              
a young soldier                                             
 
New grass time and again                  
trampled down—                           
yet still it keeps growing                
 
Sunflower seeds                                  
sown in a battlefield—                                      
longing for summer          
 
 
And… again, winter

Soldiers’ mums
stand against the Ukraine war—
winter comes again
 
Chess pieces
Scattered on a snowy road—
the battles continue
 
New Year’s greetings
from the battlefield…
smiles and tears
 
On a New Year ’s Day—
a white pigeon takes off
towards a rainbow

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