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 through the years of working right here has more and more started to grasp the language and native cultural traditions.
Time is passing and the climate has now turned chilly – scarves, gloves and so forth (no less than for me).
Final evening, I used to be driving again from a pal’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 resulting from local weather change – however stunning 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 can be in Tokyo presenting on the Symposium famous above.
The occasion can be held within the Nationwide Eating regimen 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 can be many Members of Parliament attending in addition to high 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 by way of the Web and on Thursday, after I know, I’ll publish the entry.
The Program can be:
- 13:00 Doorways open
- 13:45-13:55 Greeting from Eating regimen members
- 13:55-14:25 Professor Satoshi Fujii
- 14:25-15:15 Professor William Mitchell
- 15:25-15:55 Takuji Aida (non-public sector economist)
- 16:00-16:45 Panel dialogue
Keep in mind 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 assumed 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 strategy and visited the house of Japan’s first actual skilled on genetics, Professor Dr. Suguru Komai, which is positioned at 64 Kitashirakawa Ioricho, Sakyo Ward, Kyoto, 606-8256 (Western presentation of the handle, which differs from the way in which the Kyoto addresses are identified 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） – offers all of the fascinating info.
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 foremost 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 offers a magical loop early within the mornings.
The home was in-built 1927 and Komai-sensei grew to become often known as the ‘Japanese Darwin’.
There’s an outdated photograph of Charles Darwin in Dr Komai-sensei’s examine on the second flooring.
It’s an fascinating home as a result of it mixes Spanish-style structure (apparently well-liked within the US on the time) with some conventional Japanese parts (like a tatami room).
The sliding doorways to the only tatami room are fascinating 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 be magnificent and the persimmon bushes had been so filled with fruit that the supervisor would cease loading our baggage to take some residence.
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 flooring, which allowed entry to the rafters (and storage).
It’s nonetheless in working order and is an impressive contraption.
There are some critical clashes within the color scheme of the home nonetheless.
Why, one questioned?
Nicely the reply was that the People commandeered the home throughout their occupation of Japan on the finish of World Warfare 2.
And, whereas the Komai couple had been nonetheless in residence, the People bullied them into repainting sections of the home in numerous colors – which created a tasteless sabotage of the unique design and atmosphere.
I requested the supervisor of the home what she thought of that.
She replied: アメリカ人 – which appreciable inflection.
We each laughed – the precise sentiment I’d have expressed.
The opposite facet is the reasonably shallow, winding staircase as much as the second flooring.
Its shallowness was to accommodate Mrs Komai, who all the time wore a conventional kimono, although she had been educated at Columbia College in New York and spoke excellent English.
It was a very nice hour or so on a sunny afternoon.
Saruya – Kyoto
One in every of my favorite issues to do within the afternoon is to take a break from work and experience my bike right down to the grounds of the Shimogamo Shrine and go to – Saruya – which is a little bit tea home that serves essentially the most pleasant tea and mochi.
Yesterday, although 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 historical 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 pink bean soup (azuki beans) and are served with pink and white mochi.
Apparently, if one prays whereas having fun with the Zenzai, one will take pleasure in a superb match with their companion in life.
And after all of the prayer, we rode our bikes again to work glad, so I suppose the magic labored.
However Saruya is a superb little place to sit down and ponder.
Learn how to cling your bicycle
I used to be out on my bike the opposite day, north of the delta and noticed this bike hanging outdoors the entrance of the home.
Nearer inspection revealed a really fascinating bike rack.
The place to place one’s bike is usually a problem in Kyoto as a result of there are such a lot of of them.
Through the years, I had discovered what I name my secret bike parks, particularly if I enterprise down in direction of the principle 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 high of their voices.
No-one round them is inquisitive about their banalities.
However they don’t appear to grasp there are different individuals on this planet.