Category: Travel
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The Beautiful Village of Yoshino
The town of Yoshino (yoshino-chō, 吉野町), near the old capitol of Nara, was a popular spot in ancient times and was often the subject of poetry in the Hyakunin Isshu anthology, for example poem 31 and poem 94. Last spring, the Yasaka Taxi company in Japan posted a terrific photo of Yoshino (original link on…
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Burning with Longing: Poem 97
At last, faithful readers, we come to the final poem of the Hyakunin Isshu, composed by the anthology’s compiler himself! Japanese Romanization Translation こぬ人を Konu hito wo For the man who doesn’t come まつほの浦の Matsuo no ura no I wait at the Bay of Matsuo— 夕なぎに Yunagi ni in the evening calm やくやもしほの Yaku ya…
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The Fulling of Cloth: Poem 94
Although not a well-known poem in the Hyakunin Isshu, I rather like this one for some reason: Japanese Romanization Translation みよし野の Miyoshino Fair Yoshino, 山の秋風 Yama no aki-kaze the autumn wind in its mountains さよふけて Sayo fukete deepens the night and ふるさとさむく Furusato samuku in the former capitol, cold 衣うつなり Koromo utsu nari I hear…
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Short As A Reed: Poem Number 88
If you like word-play, you’ll enjoy this poem quite a bit: Japanese Romanization Translation 難波江の Naniwa-e no Due to that single night 芦のかりねの Ashi no karine no of fitful sleep, short as a reed’s joint cut at the root 一夜ゆへ Hitoyo yue from Naniwa Bay, 身をつくしてや Mi wo tsukushite ya am I to exhaust myself,…
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The Plovers’ Cry: Poem Number 78
As the weather gets colder, I’ve been saving this one for a time like this: Japanese Romanization Translation 淡路島 Awaji shima The crying voices かよふ千鳥の Kayou chidori no of the plovers who visit なく声に Naku koe ni from Awaji Island— いくよねざめぬ Ikuyo nezamenu how many nights have they awakened him, すまの関守 Suma no sekimori the…
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Where to Purchase Hyakunin Isshu “Karuta” Cards
Edit: Revamped this page in January 2023 with a lot more information, updated Google Maps links and so on. One of the best ways to appreciate and celebrate the Hyakunin Isshu anthology (besides reading and reciting the poetry) is to play the traditional card game called karuta. I’ve written about it here, here and here…
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A Foggy Winter’s Morn: Poem Number 64
This is a great poem for the deep of winter: Japanese Romanization Translation 朝ぼらけ Asaborake As the winter dawn 宇治の川ぎり Uji no kawagiri breaks, the Uji River mist たえだえに Taedae ni things in patches and あらはれわたる Araware wataru revealed, here and there, are せぜの網代木 Seze no ajirogi all the shallows’ fishing stakes. Translation by Dr…
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Meeting and Parting: Poem Number 10
This poem is a nice reminder that “traffic” and “commuting” are two things that haven’t really changed much in 1,000 years: Japanese Romanization Translation これやこの Kore ya kono This it is! That 行くも帰るも Yuku mo kaeru mo going, too, and coming too, 別れては Wakarete wa continually separating, 知るも知らぬも Shiru mo shiranu mo those known and…
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Getting Exiled Isn’t Fun: Poem Number 11
Another random poem I found lately. Interesting enough, it has some relation to the much later poem by Emperor Gotoba (poem 99): Japanese Romanization Translation わたの原 Wata no hara O tell her, at least, 八十島かけて Yasoshima kakete that I’ve rowed out, heading towards こぎ出ぬと Kogi idenu to the innumerable isles 人には告げよ Hito ni wa tsugeyo…
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The Wonders of Mount Fuji: Poem Number 4
This was something I read recently that I felt like posting: Japanese Romanization Translation 田子の浦に Tago no ura ni As I set out on うち出でて見れば Uchi idete mireba the beach of Tago, and look, 白妙の Shirotae no I see the snow constantly falling 富士の高嶺に Fuji no takane ni on the high peak of Fuji, 雪は降りつつ…
The Hyakunin Isshu 