Another shaky handheld video clip (RealVideo, 6.5MB) from the Country Dream jamboree last weekend. I thought I’d seen some good harmonica players, but I’ll probably never see anyone approaching the skill of Charlie McCoy, who didn’t miss a note all night as far as I could tell. You don’t get into the Smithsonian collection by [...]

Zen and Kyoto is a new (published Sept. 17, 2004) softcover book by John Einarsen, founder of Kyoto Journal. History and development, approaches, guide to zen temples in Kyoto, clear explanations of connections with other Japanese arts, a lengthy glossary and a list of resources. Brief sidebar features throughout the book enrich the practical information. [...]

In addition to meeting Tom Cruise, Yoshiko waited first in line to get tickets to Saturday’s sneak preview in Kyoto of The Last Samurai, in advance of the December 6 (in Japan) wide release of the movie. We had the best seats in the house
My review:
Postmodern society has equipped us with a refined ability to [...]

Hiiragiya is widely regarded as the finest ryokan in Kyoto. It’s said that every corner you turn in this place presents a meticulously designed and landscaped view. Hiiragiya (tel 075/221-1136, fax 221-1139) is across from Kyoto City Hall on the south side of Oike Street, but you can’t see much from the street. Very private, [...]

I recommend this map book if you are traveling to Kyoto and Osaka. I bought one in California, and it has been the best of all my kyoto maps.
Kyoto-Osaka: A Bilingual Atlas. Published by Kodansha, ISBN 4-7700-1610-7 . Of course, you can get it at any of the big bookstores after you get here, mine [...]

The person who invented Sobe Green Tea should be dragged out into the street and beaten. Not to within an inch of his life, but enough so that he remembers to never ever do such a thing again. Bad! Bad inventor man!
The same goes for Sobe Oolong Tea.

It was a hot day in sunny California, [...]