Pearls, A Film Poem Made After Visiting Mikimoto Pearl Island

Pearls, a film poem by Sydney Solis, featuring Pearl Divers from Mikimoto Pearl Island, Japan.

Earthquake in Osaka

It was an ordinary morning here on the 35th floor of our Shinmachi Osaka apartment June 18, 2018. We had just returned the night before from a whirlwind two-day tour of Tokyo with my two kids who are visiting from Florida. We were exhausted, and my husband called in sick to work. I was in …

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Writers in Kyoto Annual Poetry Reading, Plus Jazz June 24

You are cordially invited to the Writers in Kyoto Annual Poetry Reading on June 24. It will feature jazz accompanying the Kansai region's many talented poets who are gathering at the The Gnome, at Nijo Kawaramachi in Kyoto  (For map see here.) Happy to say that I, Sydney Solis, am master of ceremonies, humble poet that I am. …

Happiness is Cooking and Eating Healthy Food in Japan!

"Who would then deny that when I am sipping tea in my tearoom I am swallowing the whole universe with it and that this very moment of my lifting the bowl to my lips is eternity itself transcending time and space?"  - D.T. Suzuki

Otaue Shinto Rice Planting Ceremony at Sumiyoshi Taisha Shinto Shrine Celebrates Life and Farming

Along with the heat of summer and rainy season, shrines all over Japan host rice-planting ceremonies to pray for a plentiful harvest. Called the Otaue Shinto Service, since ancient times, Sumiyoshi Taisha Shinto Grand Shrine here south of Osaka hosts the largest ceremony in the nation and has been designated as an Important Intangible Folk …

Dine on the River and Catch Noodles in Kibune, Japan

While the summer heats up in Japan, one place to cool off is the mountainous town of Kibune on the outskirts of Northern Kyoto. Kawadoko, dining on traditional Japanese food served while sitting over the floor of the Kibune River, is something not short of spectacular. On a recent trip with Community House and Information …

My Japanese Summer – List of 10 Things to Do in Japan!

Should I stay or should I go now? That was the question posed to myself after realizing that all of the expats I know are leaving Japan for the summer to visit their home countries or simply to escape the summer heat. Now, I have lived in St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands where …

Sutra Copying, Yoga and Zazen in Kyoto

To be admitted to Saihō-ji 西芳寺 Zen Temple in Kyoto and view its famous moss gardens you first have apply for permission months in advance.  If accepted, you then pay 3000 ¥ and are required to do sutra copying. Sutra copying was something I had been eager to do when I signed up for this trip with …