through books, films, etc.
READ:
Four Seasons in Kyoto
by Pico Iyer
Memoir, Travel, Japan | Published: 1991 | Goodreads
When Pico Iyer decided to go to Kyoto and live in a monastery, he did so to learn about Zen Buddhism from the inside, to get to know Kyoto, one of the loveliest old cities in the world, and to find out something about Japanese culture today -- not the world of businessmen and production lines, but the traditional world of changing seasons and the silence of temples, of the images woven through literature, of the lunar Japan that still lives on behind the rising sun of geopolitical power.
All this he did. And then he met Sachiko.
Vivacious, attractive, thoroughly educated, speaking English enthusiastically if eccentrically, the wife of a Japanese "salaryman" who seldom left the office before 10 P.M., Sachiko was as conversant with tea ceremony and classical Japanese literature as with rock music, Goethe, and Vivaldi. With the lightness of touch that made Video Night in Kathmandu so captivating, Pico Iyer fashions from their relationship a marvelously ironic yet heartfelt book that is at once a portrait of cross-cultural infatuation -- and misunderstanding -- and a delightfully fresh way of seeing both the old Japan and the very new.
AUDIOBOOK:
My Apprenticeship in the Gardens of Kyoto
by Leslie Buck
Memoir, Japan | Published: 2017 | Goodreads | my rating: 5
At thirty-five, Leslie Buck made an impulsive decision to put her personal life on hold to pursue her passion. Leaving behind a full life of friends, love, and professional security, she became the first American woman to learn pruning from one of the most storied landscaping companies in Kyoto. Cutting Back recounts Buck’s bold journey and the revelations she has along the way. During her apprenticeship in Japan, she learns that the best Kyoto gardens look so natural they appear untouched by human hands, even though her crew spends hours meticulously cleaning every pebble in the streams. She is taught how to bring nature’s essence into a garden scene, how to design with native plants, and how to subtly direct a visitor through a landscape. But she learns the most important lessons from her fellow gardeners: how to balance strength with grace, seriousness with humor, and technique with heart.
WATCH:
Original title: Sasameyuki
Director/Writer: Kon Ichikawa
Writer: Shin'ya Hidaka
Based on book by: Jun'ichirô Tanizaki
Stars: Yoshiko Sakuma, Sayuri Yoshinaga, Yûko Kotegawa, Keiko Kishi
Drama, Romance, Japan | imdb | my rating: 5
This sensuously beautiful film chronicles the activities of four sisters who gather in Kyoto every year to view the cherry blossoms. It paints a vivid portrait of the pre-war lifestyle of the wealthy Makioka family from Osaka, and draws a parallel between their activities and the seasonal variations in Japan.
FLIP THROUGH:
A Guide to 30 Exceptional Experiences
by Thierry Teyssier
Travel, Guide, Japan | Published: 2021 | Goodreads
VISIT: someday...
(details)
Kyoto, a city that breathes culture and history,
KYOTO OKAZAKI TSUTAYA BOOKS is a bookstore
dedicated to inspire and bring to you,
'things that move the soul'.
While we call ourselves a bookstore, our store is more than just books.
Our store features locally-made handcrafted goods and accessories,
a Starbucks Book&Café,
a Rent-a-Bike service for visitors to enjoy sightseeing in Kyoto,
a Café & Restaurant inspired by locally produced seasonal ingredients,
plus many more. The store is filled with many gems
to provide each and everyone a chance encounter with
'things that move the soul'.
* part of Explore the World (here)
