Kyoto is a city steeped in centuries of tradition. Many poets, scholars and storytellers have been inspired by the ancient temples, gardens, courtiers, and traditions. But while some of us might prefer to lock Kyoto’s legendary charms in amber, change is inevitable. The future beckons.
The 6th edition of the annual Writers in Kyoto anthology invites us to consider the future of this storied city through evocative haiku, thoughtful short stories, and analytic theses; from the literal to the speculative and aspirational.
From the Foreword by Rebecca Copeland:
“Complex and layered, Kyoto stretches across a temporal spectrum: past, present and future… The creative works gathered here imagine that future. Some contributors venture into speculative realms, envisioning a vertical city suspended in space. Others root their predictions in historical sediment. Still others reflect the city through the lens of contemporary life, tracing emerging families, re-imagined identities, and inventing Kyoto futures grounded in the here and now.
“What is the future, after all, but a projection? A time not yet experienced but always imagined—a realm of dreams, uncertainties, prophecies, and hopes.
“To speak of Kyoto’s future is, paradoxically, to invoke its past. This collection invites us to do just that: to imagine what lies ahead while honoring what was always there.”
Paperback (174 pages, 6 x 9 in.) at Amazon stores worldwide, including:
Amazon US | Amazon Japan | Amazon UK | Amazon Canada
Digital (PDF) version at Gumroad
Edited by
Suzanne Kamata & Felicity Tillack
Contributors:
Sara Aoyama • Licia Braga • Adam Clague • Tina deBellegarde • Abigail Deveney • Lane Diko • Hamish Downie • Mike Freiling • Carter Hale • Amanda Huggins • Mai Ishikawa • Suzanne Kamata • Mayumi Kawaharada • Kirsty Kawano • Marianne Kimura • Elaine Lies • Nathan Mader • Stephen Mansfield • Lea Millay • Dave Tampus Pregoner • Anne Roskowski • John Savoie • Lisa Twaronite Sone • Edward J. Taylor • Hayley Noel Wallace • Isabelle Wei • Yuki Yamauchi
Designed by
Rick Elizaga
Contents
Foreword — Rebecca Copeland
Introduction — Felicity Tillack and Suzanne Kamata
Elements — Lea Millay
Fruitful — Lisa Twaronite Sone
The Knife Salesman — Amanda Huggins
Neo Kyoto — Hamish Downie
The Future of Filmmaking in Kyoto — Yuki Yamauchi
京のうつろひ | Drift of Kyoto — Mayumi Kawaharada
Limbo — Licia Braga
The Persimmon Tree — Sara Aoyama
Orpheus and Eurydice in Shiga-ken — Marianne Kimura
Trying to Understand — Kirsty Kawano
Togetsukyo Bridge in the Rain — Isabelle Wei
Angels Watching Over Us — Mike Freiling
On Repeat — Abigail Deveney
A Foreign Visitor — Mai Ishikawa
Zen and the Art of Italian Cooking — Tina deBellegarde
Basho in Love — John Savoie
The Great Buddha of Kyoto — Kirsty Kawano
The Deposit — Elaine Lies
What Remains To Be Seen — Dave Tampus Pregoner
Confluence — Nathan Mader
map — Hayley Noel Wallace
Umbrella Store — Carter Hale
Memory Card — Stephen Mansfield
While the Lacquer Dries — Adam Clague
Butterfly — Anne Roskowski
One for the Ages — Edward J. Taylor
Kyoto: Where the Cuckoo Calls — Suzanne Kamata
Afterword — Szabó Renáta
Notes on Contributors