This Tuesday report will present some insights into life for a westerner (me) who’s working for an prolonged interval at Kyoto College in Japan however who over time of working right here has more and more started to know the language and native cultural traditions.
Time is passing and the climate has now turned chilly – scarves, gloves and so forth (not less than for me).
Final evening, I used to be driving again from a good friend’s home on my bike and I realised that the season has lastly turned.
It’s downhill from right here into Winter.
The color within the bushes is now beginning to present – late attributable to local weather change – however lovely nonetheless.
Tokyo Symposium – 今求められる「責任ある積極財政」とは何か？ (What sort of ‘accountable and proactive fiscal coverage’ is required now?) – November 6, 2025
On Thursday, November 6, 2025, I shall be in Tokyo presenting on the Symposium famous above.
The occasion shall be held within the Nationwide Weight loss plan Members’ Workplace Constructing (Parliament) and I’m informed that it has reached capability when it comes to viewers numbers.
I’m additionally knowledgeable that there shall be many Members of Parliament attending in addition to prime stage bureaucrats within the coverage ministries.
So a superb likelihood to get a message throughout.
The organisers at the moment are going to stream the occasion through the Web and on Thursday, after I know, I’ll publish the entry.
The Program shall be:
- 13:00 Doorways open
- 13:45-13:55 Greeting from Weight loss plan members
- 13:55-14:25 Professor Satoshi Fujii
- 14:25-15:15 Professor William Mitchell
- 15:25-15:55 Takuji Aida (personal sector economist)
- 16:00-16:45 Panel dialogue
Do not forget that JST Thursday, November 6, 2025 – 13:00 is
– New York – November 5, 2025 – 11:00
– Sydney – November 6, 2025 – 15:00
– London – November 6, 2025 – 04:00
Heritage Home – Sakyu Ward, Kyoto
Final weekend, I believed I’d storm the Financial institution of Japan in Kyoto and reassign coverage settings solely to seek out out that there was an ichibana show on as a substitute.
Considerably chastined, this week I took a extra average method and visited the house of Japan’s first actual professional on genetics, Professor Dr. Suguru Komai, which is positioned at 64 Kitashirakawa Ioricho, Sakyo Ward, Kyoto, 606-8256 (Western presentation of the tackle, which differs from the way in which the Kyoto addresses are recognized in Japanese, extra about which one other day.
The home is now managed by the Japan Nationwide Belief and the Japanese language web page – 駒井家住宅（駒井卓・静江記念館） – gives all of the attention-grabbing data.
Primarily, it was designed by William Vories, who was an American architect and a missionary in 1918.
Komai-sensei was additionally a Christian as was his spouse Shizue.
I’ve usually run previous this home as it’s a quiet a part of Kyoto simply north of the College’s essential campus and adjoining to a canal (and path) which is lined with sakura bushes (cherry blossoms).
The canal drains into the Takano River about 2 kms away from the home and for me the trail after which river path gives a magical loop early within the mornings.
The home was in-built 1927 and Komai-sensei turned generally known as the ‘Japanese Darwin’.
There may be an outdated picture of Charles Darwin in Dr Komai-sensei’s research on the second ground.
It’s an attention-grabbing home as a result of it mixes Spanish-style structure (apparently standard within the US on the time) with some conventional Japanese components (like a tatami room).
The sliding doorways to the one tatami room are attention-grabbing as a result of on the facet dealing with the room they’re in conventional fashion however on the opposite facet, they’re in Western fashion.
Particulars.
The backyard can also be magnificent and the persimmon bushes have been so stuffed with fruit that the supervisor would cease loading our baggage to take some dwelling.
This image of an elaborate mechanical gearing system hidden in a wall aperture controls a drop down secret staircase from the ceiling of the second ground, which allowed entry to the rafters (and storage).
It’s nonetheless in working order and is a powerful contraption.
There are some critical clashes within the color scheme of the home nevertheless.
Why, one puzzled?
Properly the reply was that the Individuals commandeered the home throughout their occupation of Japan on the finish of World Battle 2.
And, whereas the Komai couple have been nonetheless in residence, the Individuals bullied them into repainting sections of the home in several colors – which created a tasteless sabotage of the unique design and atmosphere.
I requested the supervisor of the home what she considered that.
She replied: アメリカ人 – which appreciable inflection.
We each laughed – the precise sentiment I’d have expressed.
The opposite side is the somewhat shallow, winding staircase as much as the second ground.
Its shallowness was to accommodate Mrs Komai, who all the time wore a conventional kimono, despite the fact that she had been educated at Columbia College in New York and spoke good English.
It was a very nice hour or so on a sunny afternoon.
Saruya – Kyoto
Considered one of my favorite issues to do within the afternoon is to take a break from work and trip my bike all the way down to the grounds of the Shimogamo Shrine and go to – Saruya – which is just a little tea home that serves essentially the most pleasant tea and mochi.
Yesterday, despite the fact that it was a bit windy and chilly I went down and had = 良縁ぜんざい (Good Luck Zenzai) – which promotes ‘good relationships’.
One learns that “since historic occasions, 5 grains have been provided as auspicious presents to Aioi-san, the god of matchmaking at Shimogamo Shrine”.
The Good Luck Zenzai is a purple bean soup (azuki beans) and are served with purple and white mochi.
Apparently, if one prays whereas having fun with the Zenzai, one will get pleasure from a superb match with their associate in life.
And after all of the prayer, we rode our bikes again to work comfortable, so I suppose the magic labored.
However Saruya is a superb little place to take a seat and ponder.
hold your bicycle
I used to be out on my bike the opposite day, north of the delta and noticed this bike hanging exterior the entrance of the home.
Nearer inspection revealed a really attention-grabbing bike rack.
The place to place one’s bike is typically a problem in Kyoto as a result of there are such a lot of of them.
Over time, I had discovered what I name my secret bike parks, particularly if I enterprise down in the direction of the primary station space, which is uncommon.
Down that a part of city are the loud-mouthed American vacationers who appear to assume that communication between two individuals standing lower than a metre aside requires them to shout on the prime of their voices.
No-one round them is fascinated by their banalities.
However they don’t appear to understand there are different individuals on this planet.
