Ronis' beloved Parisian life WILLY RONIS Kyoto Exhibit

ロニスの愛したパリの日常　WILLY RONIS展

Kyoto's Kahitsukan Kyoto Museum of Contemporary Art is holding an exhibit of French photographer Willy Ronis's works until later this month.

Ronis, who died in 2009 at 99, originally aspired to be a composer, but abandonned that dream at age 22. From then on he followed in the footsteps of his father, who was s a photographer.

He was enormously successful: in 1957, he was awarded the Venice Biennale its Gold Medal; in 1979, he was given the Awards Grand prix national des Arts et des Lettres pour la Photographie.

The Museum is a short walk from Shijo - Kawabata, or the Shijo Keihan Train Station in Gion.

Walking towards Yasaka Shrine, from the Kamo River on Shijo Dori, it is on the left just beyond Hanamikoji Dori.

Information

October 6 - November 25
10:00 - 6:00 pm (last entry 5:30 pm, closed Mondays)
Adults: 1,000 yen, students: 800 yen
Telephone: 075 525 1311
E-mail：kahitsukan@kahitsukan.or.jp

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Walk Ten Kilometers to a Public Bath in Kyoto

１０キロ歩いて銭湯へ！　京都市が活性化企画印刷用画面を開く

Though scholars doubt its authenticity, one of several pithy quotes attributed to Mark Twain speaking of his ultimate demise is, "When the end of the world comes, I want to be in Cincinnati because it's always twenty years behind the times."

Though Kyoto is also known for its embrace of things modern and new, it is in some ways somewhat like that: a bit behind the times, clinging to things discarded in the rest of Japan.

While the neighborhood public bath (sento) is fading fast around the rest of urban Japan - replaced by Super Sento (modern, mega-baths with dining and other facilities) or nothing at all - Kyoto still has many local sentos sprinkled around the city.

However, Kyoto is not immune to trends that have hurt the sento industry: namely, that all private homes now have their own bath. In 1970, the city had 461 public baths. As of 2010, just 187 remained.

The city though is concerned about a decline in the number of baths, and is sponsoring an event to encourage sento use. The city has divided its 40+ km marathon course into four sections - each 10 km long - and is sponsoring walk-and-bathe days.

To help rectify the the decline, the city will sponsor four walks. The first will be from Nishi Kyogoku (close to where the local soccer club Sanga plays) and wind its way to Ninnaji Temple. At the starting point, participants will receive an entry ticket to a sento. After a three-hour walk, it's off to a public bath.

The fee to participate is 410 yen - the amount public baths charge - and applications are being accepted until November 7.

For information, call 075 222 3433.

Kyoto Sento Map

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Villa Kujoyama Kyoto Exhibit

VK3F　ヴィラ九条山招聘アーティストによる 2週間の特別展示

At Villa Kujoyama, a French government run art residency in the hills of eastern Kyoto, French artists come and work for stints from four months to one year.

At the end of their stays, there are exhibits and happenings.

It was inspired by the Villa Medicis in Rome, and has been open since 1992.

Recent events include "at least we still have joy," an exhibit by Alexandre Maubert. Entrance is free and the show will run until November 10.

There will also be a performance on November 11, from 4 pm until 7 pm.

On the 12th, from 7 pm, there will be a video exhibit and a talk with the artist.

For cyclists, it is near Nanzenji Temple. Here is a map.


Information

Villa Kujoyama　Kansai Franco-Japanese Institute, 17-22 Hinooka Ebisudani-cho, Yamashina-ku, Kyoto 607-8492
Phone: 075 752 7171

10 minute walk from Keage station on the Subway Tozai line

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World Cycling News 4 November 2012

今週のサイクリング２０１２年１１月０４日

One Way Around the Traffic Muddle in Brooklyn: Riding a Bicycle New York Times

Wada accepts Usada evidence against Lance Armstrong BBC

What an RAF pilot can teach us about being safe on the road London Cyclist

VÉLO DE MONTAGNE Vélo Québec

How cyclists and pedestrians can share space on canal towpaths Guardian

Las ciudades más contaminadas BiciMexico

ＮＣＤなど、東京・品川で自転車共同利用の社会実験－環境負荷低減、普及の好機　Asahi Shinbun

Cambridge rower hits out over career-ending accident The Times of London

No winner for 1999-2005 Tours, says UCI Yahoo

Last Week's Cycling News


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自転車で京都雲ヶ畑まで

Cycling Kyoto Kumogahata

日本語ご希望の方。

In the far north of Kyoto City is a mountain village that is a world apart from the rest of the city.

Kumogahata is a rural village within the city limits.

To get there is a bit of a climb, but from downtown will take only about one hour.

The villages that make up Kumogahata feature several temples, rural scenery, a river (that is in places unfortunately filthy with trash) that is the source of the Kamo River, and mountains.

The area has been inhabited for than a thousand years.

A highlight is the annual August 24 the Kumogahata Torch-throwing Festival.

On weekends, there are a fair number of cyclists on the roads.


Ride Kumogahata ride.

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Gosho

Cycling Kanga-an Temple Kyoto

自転車で閑臥庵

This area of north central Kyoto is among the few areas we would consider moving to, if circumstances allowed and/or the stars aligned. We love our area of western Kyoto but the area north of Shokokuji Temple is very tempting.

The neighborhood north of Imadegawa, west of Karasuma, Shimei Dori on the north end, and just east of the Kamo River is hemmed in by barriers human and natural. Thus, traffic is minimal.

It is close to several subway stops, bus routes, a hop skip and jump to the Kamo River, and a short ride into central Kyoto.

It also is home to many temples. The largest is Shokokuji Temple.

Among the other temples Kanga-an is small and quirky.

It is at the northern end of the area, almost to Shimei Dori.

In its garden is a gaggle of Buddhist statuary.

In the 17th century, retired Emperor Go Mizuno asked the head priest of Manpukuji in Uji, to open Kanga-an and "enshrine the Holy Spirit of Residential Protection, Chintakurefushin. Chintaku is thought to bear the impressive burden of controlling the movements of the universe, guarding the zodiac, expelling evil spirits and "protecting people from the wrong direction."

Until 1869, when the Emperor relocated to Tokyo, Chin's holy barricade safeguarded Japan's royals. Following that, Kanga-an was relegated to being just one of Kyoto's 3,000 temples and shrines. It is small and not on a the tourist route.

However, one thing separates Kanga-an from the many small and large temples: it serves traditional Kyoto Kaiseki cuisine that is wonderful. Eating in a temple is one of the many exquisite experiences to be had in Kyoto, and Kanga-an is one of the few that opens its doors to the public.

Information

Kangan-an Temple
500 yen
278 Kuramaguchi-Higahiiru, Karasumadori, Kita-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture 603-0000
Telephone: 81 75 256 2480

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Kyoto Kitayama Pumpkins

京都北山カボチャ

Every October, the Kitayama area of Kyoto hosts a pumpkin festival that has blossomed into an annual party that takes place in front of the Botanical Gardens.

The event even has its own web page.

On a visit to the area on October 31, the pumpkins were lined up a bit forlornly in front of the Botanical Gardens.

A check on the above web page confirmed that the big event had already taken place.

On October 27 and 28, the annual party and parade took place.

We are not sure what will become of the post-Halloween Jack-o-lanterns.

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