Here are some pictures from Inuyama in Aichi prefecture, which we visited last month. Inuyama Castle is supposed to be the oldest castle in Japan: the original fort was built in 1440, and the current structure was completed in 1537. However as you can see from the scaffolding in the picture above, it still needs a bit of maintenance from time to time. Despite the metal … [Read more...] about A Trip to Inuyama
Conservation
Kawai Kanjiro’s House
This is the house of Kawai Kanjiro, a legendary potter and a key figure in the mingei or Japanese folk art movement. His beautiful wooden townhouse has been preserved as a memorial run by his family. The building itself and the garden are wonderful, but you can also see here many of his works: ceramics, sculptures, and woodcarvings. His kilns are preserved at the back of the … [Read more...] about Kawai Kanjiro’s House
A Trip into the Past at Meiji Mura
In 2011 McKinsey & Company commissioned 80 writers and thinkers to contribute to an anthology rather grandly titled Reimagining Japan: The Quest for a Future that Works. I bought my own copy after browsing through it at Kansai Aiport and reading Alex Kerr's piece "Japan after People". His contribution was a wry form of dystopian projection that took various current trends, … [Read more...] about A Trip into the Past at Meiji Mura
Hiking Along the Old Hozu River Towpath
Last Saturday I joined Stephen Gill and Okiharu Maeda of the conservation group P.T.O. for a hike along the Hozu River. The hike wasn't purely for the pleasure of getting out into the fresh country air though, Maeda-san and Mr. Gill were making a detailed report, with photographs of the exact location of trees on Mount Ogura that have been affected by a deadly oak disease. Even … [Read more...] about Hiking Along the Old Hozu River Towpath
Two Views from Yasaka Shrine
Here are two views from Yasaka Shrine separated by time. Both images give us a "bronze lion's eye view" down Shijo as seen from the entrance to Yasaka Shrine. The first is a recent image painted by my hopelessly romantic friend Ichsan. Do please visit his Facebook page to see more of his wonderful paintings. This is the image of Gion with which we are familiar today. And … [Read more...] about Two Views from Yasaka Shrine
