Posted in writing and poetry, nature, travel and places, kyoto, haiku on May 2nd, 2007 1 Comment »
One of the weirdest Shinkansen stations is without a doubt Shinkobe. The station building hangs on the side of Mt Rokko, above the city, with only a green mountain at the back. The trains arrive and depart via long tunnels bored in that same mountain. Right under the station a river comes cascading down the […]
Posted in calendar, travel and places, temples, kyoto on Apr 29th, 2007 2 Comments »
With the sprouting of the fresh green and the red splash of the azaleas, in May Japan bursts out in a frenzy of festivals.
[Shiobune Temple fire festival. Photo Ad Blankestijn]
Late April - Early May, Nara: Opening of Hokuendo Hall of Kofukuji (2007: 4/27-5/6).
May 1- 4, Kyoto: Nenbutsu Kyogen at Senbonshakado Temple.
One of the three greatest kyogen […]
Posted in nature, technology, history, travel and places, kyoto on Apr 28th, 2007 No Comments »
The Hozu River is the designation for the upstream section of the Katsura River, between the Hozu Bridge in Kameoka City and the Togetsu Bridge in Arashiyama. The river originates in the Tanba mountains and finally, south of Kyoto, flows into the Yodo River. It changes name three times, because the upper reaches above […]
Posted in technology, architecture, travel and places, museums, kyoto on Apr 25th, 2007 No Comments »
Kyoto is often seen as purely a historical city for tourists. Indeed, when you sit in a quiet Zen garden you tend to forget that it is also a hothouse of advanced research and industry.
That was already so in the past. In the last 30 years of the 19th century, after the capital was transferred […]
Posted in nature, travel and places, gardens, temples, kyoto on Apr 23rd, 2007 1 Comment »
Although now most flowers are gone, last weekend (April 14-15) there were still some beautiful sakura left in Kyoto. After having seen the “Kansetsu sakura” of the Philosopher’s Path (planted by the wife of nihonga painter Hashimoto Kansetsu, in the memory of her husband) and the famous trees of Arashiyama (originally from the sacred groves […]
Posted in kyoto on Apr 15th, 2007 1 Comment »
Kyoto’s secluded temple graveyards harbor the ashes of many famous artists and authors. Years ago, I heard that the grave of Tanizaki Junichiro (1886-1965) could be found in the old graveyard of Honenin Temple, but a cursory visit rendered no results, there were no written indications. During my visit to Honenin last week, to see […]
Posted in travel and places, religion and philosophy, museums, temples, kyoto on Apr 13th, 2007 No Comments »
There is one very special image of Sakyamuni, the historical Buddha, one that claims to be modeled after the Buddha himself, during his lifetime, and that therefore became the object of a particularly fervent popular cult in Japan in the 13th century. This wondrous image still can be seen in the Shaka-do, the Sakyamuni Hall […]
Posted in food, kyoto on Apr 9th, 2007 No Comments »
List of Kyoto vegetables (A)
Kyo takenoko (bamboo shoot)
A spring vegetable grown in Nishiyama, the Western Hills. The young shoots of bamboo (raised by farmers) are eaten after boiling, but Kyo takenoko is also eaten uncooked, just after being dug up, and dipped in vinegared miso. The taste is sweet, the flesh soft.
Kyo myoga (mioga, […]
Posted in nature, calendar, travel and places, kyoto on Apr 8th, 2007 1 Comment »
The Philosopher’s Path (Tetsugaku no Michi) in Kyoto is one of my favorite walks, but I had been there only in summer, autumn (good for momiji leaves) and winter, as I discovered yesterday, because I never realized that it is also the prime sakura spot in Kyoto!
The philosopher’s Path is a 2 kilometer trail along […]
Posted in nature, calendar, travel and places, kyoto on Apr 5th, 2007 No Comments »
One of the most famous places for seeing cherryblossoms in Osaka is the Mint, or Zoheikyoku, which features a long lane where rare cherry trees form a veritable tunnel of blossoms.
As the branches hang down low, the flowers are surprisingly closeby.
There are apparently 120 different kinds of cherrytrees and about tree times as many trees; […]
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