Gion Matsuri

I went to the Gion Matsuri festival last week. Traditional Japanese floats are dragged around the downtown part of the city. Since it is summer, many people put on the yukata - the traditional Japanese summer kimono.

Kyoto's Cherry Blossoms

A few weeks ago, the cherry blossoms were in bloom. I went to the countryside with my English language class. These flowers only last a few days before they fall. If you're coming to Japan, make sure you come at this time. Kyoto is indeed a very beautiful place.

Momiji in Kyoto

I took these photos at a Kyoto temple. Momiji means 'red leaves'. Kyoto is famous for its beautiful red leaves, and people come from all over the country, and even from abroad, to look at them.
This is a city of extremes when it comes to the weather. Very cold in winter, but really hot and humid weather in July and August. In winter, as soon as I get inside, the first thing I do is stick my hands in the toaster to defrost them.

Kobe Mosque

Although I live in Kyoto, both Kobe and Osaka are only around 90 minutes away by train. The other day I went to visit Kobe Mosque, one of the oldest mosques in Japan.

Muslims first arrived in Japan in the late 19th century, the first official contact was with the Ottoman Empire. Kobe 神戸can be translated as the 'gate of God', and it was the main gateway, along with Yokohama, into Japan for many foreigners, Muslims included. The first major group of Muslim emigrants to Japan were Kazan Russians, fleeing the Russian Revolution. They built Kobe Mosque in 1935. You can find a thorough history of the mosque here, http://www.kobemosque.org/History%20English.htm.

Today the Muslim community of Kobe is largely made up of South Asians who specialise in exporting second-hand cars, and foreign students. Looking around the mosque today, it's hard to imagine the kind of tight-knit community of Kazan Turks, Arabs, Indians and others that existed here in the 1920's and 30's. I'm not an expert or anything, but it seems to me that Muslim communities here don't tend to put down roots, they are here for strictly economic reasons, and when the economy changes, they move on.

First entry

This is my first blog in English. I probably won't post regularly, just now and again.