Bangkok Haunts (2007, ISBN 9780-5930-5544-1) is the third in writer John Burdett’s Detective Sonchai series, in which Sonchai, a colorful character in the Bangkok Fiction genre, attempts to get to the bottom of the death of an ex-lover, with other-worldly implications. Burdett’s protagonist, a Royal Thai Police detective operating in Bangkok’s District 8, offers up […]
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WoWasis book review: ‘Confessions of a Yakuza’ by Junichi Saga
At one point, former Yakuza Ijichi Eiji came into physician-writer Junichi Saga’s world as a patient, and thus began a series of conversations than turned into the memoirs that became the remarkable book Confessions of a Yakuza: a Life in Japan’s Underworld (1991, ISBN 978-4-7700-1948-6). The narratives detail the path taken by Eiji to become […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis visits Sho-ren-in temple in Kyoto, Japan
Blink, and you’ll miss it. But you shouldn’t. On the famed “temple walk” through the southern Higashiyama district in Kyoto, you’ll pass by and see a lot of temples and shrines. If you’re like us here at WoWasis, you’ll yearn for a few minutes of peace and quiet away from the crowds, and Sho-ren-in Temple […]
Read the rest of this entry »Jet-setting Thai monk defrocked, Thailand now in shock and denial
A multimillionaire jet-setting Thai monk has fled the country with millions of dollars, leaving the nation in Thailand in sock and awe. Shock, because holy people aren’t supposed to be building empires and impregnating 13 year old girls. Awe, because he’s been getting away with the shenanigans for so long, he seems to be the […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis visits Sumiya, a historical restaurant and entertainment architectural museum in Kyoto, Japan
Sumiya is a wonderful, ancient traditional restaurant and entertainment venue, originally built in 1641, that’s now a museum of sorts, primarily involved in the architectural preservation of the building and interior. It’s considered to be the finest example of Edo-period ageya (restaurant and entertainment venue) architecture in urban Japan. Here is where lavish meals were […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis visits Nijo Castle in Kyoto, Japan
Nijo Castle is an important UNESCO World heritage site in Kyoto, although the appellation is losing some of its luster, since that body seems to be giving out that honor like candy these days. Nevertheless, the castle is well worth seeing, and easy to get to, located in central Kyoto. Important aspects of the castle […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis visits the Ninna-ji Temple in Kyoto, Japan
The Ninna-ji Temple was founded in 888 ACE. Also known as the Old Imperal Palace, Ninna-ji is the headquarters of the Omuro School of the Shingon sect of Buddhism.The Omuro School of Flower Arrangement is also housed in the temple. The temple complex is striking, with a number of architecturally arresting buildings, including an imposing […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis’ visits Kyoto’s amazing golden Kinkaku-ji Pavilion
Although it’s full of visitors and can get crowded, there’s no doubt as to the beauty of the scene of Kyoto’s golden Kinkaku-ji Pavilion overlooking the lake. It’s one of the finest views in Japan. Originally built in 1397 ACE, the temple was burned in 1950 by an obsessed monk, so what you’re seeing today […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis visits the Kohfukuji Treasure Hall in Nara, Japan
These days, Japan is restoring seemingly dozens of historical shrines and temples. The process included shrouding the building in a huge, unsightly shed for periods of up to five years. While we here at WoWasis applaud the process in general, it wreaks havoc on visitors that were hoping to see an important shrine or temple, […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis’ visits Kyoto’s amazing Sanjusangen-Do temple
We here at WoWasis have seen a lot of Buddhist structures, but we weren’t prepared for what we saw at Kyoto’s amazing Sanjusangen-Do temple. Here is a hall, rebuilt in 1266, replete with 1001 statues of the 100-armed Buddhist goddess of mercy, Kannon. The statues are laid out in a grid consisting of 500 statues […]
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