Writing in Kyoto
Jann Williams, May 24th, 2016
As I sit writing I can see the south-western turret and grounds of Nijo Castle through my apartment balcony door. The research for my book ‘Elemental Japan’ has been rich and rewarding in the two weeks I have been based in Kyoto. For half of that time I have been further afield using one of my JR Rail Passes. I took the opportunity to visit Miyajima and climb Mt Misen, to take a tour of the Temples and Shrines around Murou and Sakarai, and practice taiko with friends near Nagahama on Lake Biwa.
Back in Kyoto I have visited Toji Temple and Kamigamo Shrine, been to the Miho Museum for the day, seen the Zen exhibition before it closed, and walked the local streets to get a sense of daily life in the city. To share some of these experiences along the way I have created a blog called, not unexpectedly, Elemental Japan. Good fortune has smiled on me in many ways, including meeting and re-meeting some remarkable people during my time in Japan so far. I look forward to making more connections before I head home to Australia in the third week of July. That is why I am sitting here writing in Kyoto – to experience the elemental life and soul of this remarkable city, and beyond from time to time.
My Kyoto apartment provides a window to the elements – to behold water, mountains, sky, wind, earth and trees as I sit and write is a real pleasure. Nijo Castle, and the joggers who run around its perimeter, add the human element. All are interconnected and part of the story of elemental Japan.
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For Jann’s fascinating blog on aspects of elements worldwide, see Fire Up Water Down.