*No spoilers Recently translated into English from German, The Pine Islands tells the story of Gilbert Silvester, a stuffy middle-aged lecturer in Germany. His area of academic specialisation is beard fashions in film. One day he finds out his wife is cheating on him (or so he believes, we never discover the truth). So heContinue reading “Book Review: The Pine Islands by Marion Poschmann”
Tag Archives: japanese history
10 uplifting things I found on the internet this week #3
#upliftingthings from the internet #3 Find inspiration and separating out the wheat from the chaff for internet amusement, Est. April 2020.
Book Review: Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
*Contains no plot spoilers. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Pachinko is a family saga about Korean migrants living in Japan against the backdrop of the unheaval of the 20th Century. The novel traces struggles, triumphs and colourful personalities of several generations of one family. It rockets along at an amazing pace and doesn’t let up. This is a bookContinue reading “Book Review: Pachinko by Min Jin Lee”
No news of the affairs of men
In the age of omnipresent news and digital devices dominating our every waking moment, this poem by 18th century Japanese hermit poet Ryokan seems very relevant. No news of the affairs of men. How lovely to be without the news of the world. Whatever the news of the day, Ryokan sure as hell didn’t giveContinue reading “No news of the affairs of men”
Book Review: A Beginner’s Guide to Japan Observations and Provocations by Pico Iyer
Time magazine journalist and author Pico Iyer has lived in Nara (land of the rabid deer) in Japan for the past 30 years. In this book, Iyer follows his instincts to uncover the depths of the Japanese psyche, Japanese soul and character. This is fascinating to me because I am (in case you didn’t know)Continue reading “Book Review: A Beginner’s Guide to Japan Observations and Provocations by Pico Iyer”
The Enlightenment of Everyday Objects
In ancient Japanese tradition, when a treasured household item reaches the end of usefulness, it is given the proper funerary send off that it deserves. This unusual ritual harks back to two ancient philosophies. The Shinto Animist philosophy that all things alive or otherwise have a soul. And the Nichiren Buddhist philosophy that when aContinue reading “The Enlightenment of Everyday Objects”
Jisei: Haunting Japanese death poems from history
Japan has a long history of jisei, or death poems. Jisei is the “farewell poem to life.” These poems were written by literate people, often monks, royalty or courtiers just before their death. A Jisei from Prince Otsu in 686 BC is one of the earliest recorded death poems. Not all death poems are writtenContinue reading “Jisei: Haunting Japanese death poems from history”
The book blogger confessions tag
I saw this tag at the wonderful book blog by Diana Ideas on Papyrus. I simply had to do this book tagging exercise, even though this apparently happened AGES ago. Still, it’s a very cool and fun idea. So here are some books that have imprinted themselves onto my soul. Please share the love and doContinue reading “The book blogger confessions tag”
Travel: Himeji Castle, Japan
Himeji Castle was the first place in Japan to become a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1993, after this there were dozens of others named. It’s actually the largest and arguably most impressive castle in in Japan and has 83 buildings. It takes hours to walk around inside of it, like a medieval Disneyland, it’sContinue reading “Travel: Himeji Castle, Japan”
Travel: Tenryu-ji temple and gardens Arashiyama Kyoto
Tenryū-ji is a temple and gardens founded by Ashikaga Takauji in 1339. It’s purpose at the time was to venerate Gautama Buddha. It’s considered as one of Kyoto’s so-called Five Mountains. In 1994, it was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Tenryuji dates from the Muromachi period in Japan’s 14th-16th century. Among its manyContinue reading “Travel: Tenryu-ji temple and gardens Arashiyama Kyoto”
Content Catnip 