Greetings!
Rainy season is upon us in Japan. The air is muggy and it takes forever for laundry to dry. I am sweating as I type this. But those are minor problems as we continue to watch the Black Lives Matter demonstrations and their fallout all across the world (more on that below). My June has been dominated by watching those protests and the changes they have wrought. And as the coronavirus pandemic moves to second page here in Japan, we are able to travel domestically once again: I went to Nagasaki to pick up my Japanese driver’s license and do some research, and also to Kyoto with the family. Two trips in one month! Next month I plan to take a couple more trips to both the mainland and another island, closer to Korea.
There is a lot about Nagasaki on my blog linked below, but I would like to spend a moment on Kyoto. This month saw the 100 day anniversary of my mother-in-law’s passing. This can be an important milestone in Buddhism, but it was especially important for us since we missed her 49 day memorial due to the coronavirus State of Emergency. We had to make it to Kyoto. It was a whirlwind trip of temples and cemeteries, family and restaurants, but we took our only free afternoon to visit the famous Fushimi Inari. It was the same day as all travel restrictions had been lifted so there were a lot more people than the month before, but it was not nearly as crowded as it usually is. It was my first time. In all the years I spent in Kyoto the crowds had always kept me away. The weather was good so I enjoyed sweating it up the hill. I hope you enjoy the photos linked below.
In closing, I will leave you with a couple of book recommendations. It has been an excellent month for reading. I read two 5-star books this month: the beautiful Giller-prize winning Fifteen Dogs by André Alexis, and the Hugo/Nebula nominated sci-fi space opera A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine. Check them out and if you read one or both, let me know what you think!
Stay healthy and stay vigilant,
/ck
🖋 From the Blog
First month at Japanese Elementary school An overview of the daily life of my kids at school here… and complaining about my sunburn.
The Bridges of Nagasaki A travelogue where I am doing some experimental creative writing using a central symbol (can you guess what it is?). Check it out and send me your feedback!
A better process for reading, writing, and thinking: zettelkasten How I met my new thinking partner: the 300 year old German note-taking methodology that is changing my life!
🧭 Elsewhere
To and from Kyoto: including a hike up the famous Fushimi Inari. Photo Gallery →
A lovely and literary piece on the ideology behind e-Learning (tracks with my experience). Link →
It has been a month of BLM in Japan. Link →
Must read “reflections from a token black friend.” Link →