In this issue

KJ 86 chronicles an array of creative endeavours occurring in, or concerning Asia. Though the diverse works documented span a wide range of media they are linked by their eye-opening and inspiring insights:

Trevor Carolan interviews Gary Snyder, now in his 86th year, about his latest book…

Celebrity photographer Russell Wong bids farewell to Tokyo’s iconic Hotel Okura…

Egyptian poet Yahia Labadibi re-engages with the ancient art of aphorism…

David Billa shares insights into the 2016 twelve-island Setouchi Triennale…

Bill Clements profiles Dr. Nagai Takashi, author of The Bells of Nagasaki…

Lucinda Cowing interviews the Singapore-based designers behind Lanzavecchia + Wai…

Robert Fouser discovers a Japanese art renaissance in New York…

Pedro Medeiros is one of only two photographers authorized to shoot Kyoto’s fire-lit Takigi Noh performance, for the first in a series of special articles on Noh by Toyoshima Mizuho

Elle Murrell ask the founders of the Miksang Institute for Contemplative Photography to reflect on their first workshop in Asia

Translator Cathy Hirano talks about translating children’s fiction (including Nahoko Uehashi’s popular Moribito series)

Plus Margaret Chula and Michael Dylan Welch meditate on haiku…

Photographer Sophie Wright takes us to a hot afternoon in Mumbai…

Taeyin ChoGlueck pens new fiction… and much more…

Checking Out - The Final Days Of Hotel Okura

Checking Out - The Final Days Of Hotel Okura

2 mins

Invitation Of Noh:Kyoto Takigi Noh

Invitation Of Noh:Kyoto Takigi Noh

9 mins

Finding The Sky

Finding The Sky 

5 mins

Maid To Love

Maid To Love

10 mins

Upholding Lightness

Interview with Francesca Lanzavecchia and Hunn Wai of Lanzavecchia + Wai.

10+ mins

The Art of Island Time

The Art of Island Time

9 mins

Choose Your Own Adventure

Choose Your Own Adventure

9 mins

The Great Gold

An interview with Gary Snyder at Sakura time.

10+ mins

Read all stories from Kyoto Journal

Kyoto Journal Magazine Description:

KJ is in many ways a unique publication. Firstly, it is not only non-profit, but also completely volunteer-based, over a very wide-reaching network. None of the editors – or contributors – are paid. We believe that KJ’s uniqueness extends to its editorial approach, its content – the range of topics covered – and to our approach to design.

A journal, whether public or private, is an ongoing means of looking afresh at the inhabited world, both social and natural. In selecting material for KJ we look for intelligent work that comes also from the heart. We are curious about society, beliefs, traditions and new developments — how people live, and live well — through the lens of Asian experience. Our generous contributors share valuable Asian insights through special features, interviews and profiles, fiction, poetry, photo-essays and reviews, in both omnibus and specially themed issues.

The unique aspect of KJ’s award-winning visual presentation is that our designers shape each story according to its individual content, without relying on templates. Each article is a separate exploration and finds its own form, while often existing in a deliberate interplay with other pieces, meaning that each issue adds up to more than the sum of its parts.

Our name, “Kyoto Journal,” also reflects more than a physical location. Kyoto is a place of deep spiritual and cultural heritage, and has been the measure of such things here in Japan for more than a millennium. Kyoto culture has looked deeply inwards (think Zen, and a host of related experiential paths) and has also drawn richly from outside, especially in relatively recent years since the Meiji modernization. Essentially, KJ is a community that transcends place, while respecting and celebrating regional and local identity.

We aim to make the best use of the media at hand in continuing to seek the essence of Asia. Care to join us?