by Simon Rowe A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor. ― FDR Sea kayaking isn’t an activity you hear much about, yet Japan’s coastline is made for travel-by-paddle. I have lived in Hyogo for 26 years and bought my first sea kayak in 2001 — a folding Folbot Greenland II — and later added an …Read More
Category: WiK members (Page 1 of 25)
Authors who belong to Writers in Kyoto
ZOOM TALK on SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers International)March 22, 2024Report by Rebecca Otowa Last night I joined 25 people from around the world, mostly Japan, to hear WiK member Lisa Wilcut talk under the title of “What it Takes to Bring a Picture Book to Life in Another Language”, about her translation of …Read More
The Gion Festival: Exploring its Mysteries by Catherine Pawasarat (2022) Reviewed by Paul Carty The Gion Festival, an integral part of Kyoto’s cultural heritage, spans the month of July, culminating in vibrant processions on July 17th and 24th. Catherine Pawasarat’s book, The Gion Festival: Exploring its Mysteries, provides a comprehensive guide to this historic event, …Read More
by James Woodham flat out on the grasscoming down as deep as dreams –the seeds of freedom the lake concealinga million lives, another worldso the mind dreams afternoon so slowit feels like the sun has stoppedclouds just hanging orb of the moon hungin a sky of palest bluepink tinge on the hills ducks glide sereneon …Read More
The island of Shikoku’s principle attraction is of course its pilgrimage. While the 88 temples that serve as waypoints are of varying grandeur and importance, Cape Muroto’s Mikuriyajin Cave must certainly be considered of primary significance, for if Kukai had not had his spiritual epiphanies here, it is doubtful that the pilgrimage would exist at …Read More
by Cody Poulton On New Year’s Day in Kyoto my wife and I visited a friend in Fushimi. He is an architect and amateur soccer player who also happens also to be a Pure Land Buddhist priest. I discussed my interest in finding some old house in town to fix up and make liveable. But, …Read More
Papa Jon’s Café Rokkaku, January 13th, 2024 Writers In Kyoto aims not only to bring together members of the local literary community to focus on writing, but also to support each other’s activities. WiK member Rebecca Otowa exhibited her watercolor paintings between January 10th and 15th at Papa Jon’s Café Rokkaku in downtown Kyoto, a …Read More
by Yuki Yamauchi When Lafcadio Hearn taught English literature at Tokyo Imperial University (the current University of Tokyo), he praised a certain undergraduate as “the only one that can express himself in English among 10,000 Japanese students.” The prodigy worth such high praise was Bin Ueda. Born in 1874 at Tsukiji, Tokyo, he enriched his …Read More
By Kit Nagamura deep winterin the comb tinesa single white hair whitewaterinstead of the bridgechoosing the long way around the moment you knowthe moment mutablewild cherry blossoms
by Stephen Benfey Kazu sat in the freezing waterfall beside the white-bearded yamabushi. The mountain priest’s temple lay below. Kazu knew it from hikes in Kyoto’s hills with his high-school mountaineering club. He’d sought refuge here three months ago, in November. Heartbreak had sent him, and fear. It was her smile. Every time his co-worker …Read More
WiK Writing Competition
Eighth Annual Writing Competition Winners (2023)
Previous years:
Seventh Annual Writing Competition Winners (2022)
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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