Author Archives: Si Hou Lon

I have returned to Williamstown and had a few days to reflect on the Kyoto trip. It was definitely a life changing experience I will mention the tea ceremony and Zen meditation sessions first. I had thought tea ceremony was … Continue reading →

I headed out to Toji this morning for their monthly market. I was out of yen, but I expected a money exchange machine or store near the temple. However, I was not able to find any near it, so I … Continue reading →

The last activity for our trip was visiting Taiko-an to do zazen and answer the kouan. Isobe-sensei originally wanted to us to answer the kouan first and then do zazen. However, he changed his mind, as doing zazen may help … Continue reading →

I woke up at 6:15 AM today, because I had not gone on a morning walk in Kyoto yet. I had a presentation today to prepare for, but I really wanted to do it. I searched up online on places … Continue reading →

We set out today at 9:30 AM today on a taxi to Noh Mask Carver Otsuki Kokun’s residence. We were very honored to have seen Otsuki-sensei’s Noh mask collection. They were the same set of masks that were shown at … Continue reading →

We set out to Teramachi at 9:25 AM today to watch Amae Dairiku, a tea master, gather water from a shrine. I was surprised by his excellent English pronunciation and by his Hawaiian pidgin accent as well. I did not … Continue reading →

We left at 8:25 AM today on a 20 minute walk to Terminal Kyoto, where we given a lecture on Zen Buddhism by professor Catherine Ludvik. Her lecture gave us a lot information on Zen monasteries and art. It was … Continue reading →

We boarded a taxi at 9:15 AM to the Takabayashi Family’s residence. They live in a normal Japanese home, so I was surprised that there was a Noh practice stage in it. We were greeted by the father and son … Continue reading →

We met up today at 9:45 AM to head out to the Kanze Noh theater. We wanted first row seats that were in a good position, but ended up with second row seats instead. I was still able to see … Continue reading →

We set out to Terminal Kyoto at 9:20 AM today. I was able to see the Buddhist sculptures made by sculptor Miyamoto that I researched. I noticed the texture of sculpture and the pattern of the wood used much more. … Continue reading →