Author Archives: Lynda Philippsen

The Shinkansen Silent Car

From Shin-Osaka to Hiroshima I am in the Number 4 Silent Car. No conversation is permitted and no announcements will be made. Continue reading

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Riding with Constant Uncertainty

As I hurtle through the darkness I can’t help but feel it as a metaphor for existence. Continue reading

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In the Moment

You might notice manifestations of singular beauty and grace in any moment. Continue reading

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New World Sake: Round Two

The first rice-harvesting combine in Canada (recently shipped to Abbotsford from Hokkaido) brought in the harvest destined to become the 2014 Osake Fraser Valley Junmai. Continue reading

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Kyoto Kitcho, Kyoto Hotel Granvia

First established in 1930 in Osaka, Kitcho has grown—along with its reputation for supreme attention to season, setting, presentation, taste, and likely the most famous service in Japan—oh yeah—and expense. Continue reading

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Ryoanji, Kyoto

Ryoanji’s rock garden, the ultimate in Zen art, is a simple rectangle of clay walls, gray-white sand, fifteen stones, and a veranda for viewing. That’s it. Continue reading

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Tofukuji Temple, Kyoto

Tofukuji Temple, one of five primary Zen temples in Kyoto, boasts another National Treasure: the oldest Sanmon (main Zen temple gate) in Japan. Continue reading

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Saying So Long to Summer

Overhead, the geese in giant check marks underscore the realization: We are at another summer’s end. Continue reading

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Orbite Bar, Kyoto Hotel Granvia

It’s the kind of room where you are invited to keep your own bottle of whiskey—if you have the good fortune to be that regular here. I wish. Continue reading

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Kyoto Depaato

A depaato is a mercantile microcosm not unlike a museum which truly reflects Japanese culture. The main difference is that it contains artifacts of the present rather than the past. Continue reading

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