Kyoto Report 2025 – 7

This Tuesday report will provide some insights into life for a westerner (me) who is working for an extended period at Kyoto University in Japan but who over the years of working here has increasingly began to understand the language and local cultural traditions.

Xmas comes early in Japan

For a mostly unchristian nation – around 1 per cent of the population (or around 1.2 million people) – Xmas is a widely celebrated (commercialised) event.

It also rears its commercial head rather early here and all the shops are now displaying Xmas regalia and it is only early November (or it was when the stuff first appeared).

I was passing a local University (Doshisha) the other evening and came across this beautiful creation.

This photo is from underneath the structure and gives some guide to how it is constructed.

On another day, I was out running near the same place and took this photo.

Basically, they have a structure of netting over the manicured tree which supports the lights and are largely invisible during the daylight hours.

It is quite a creation.

On Doshisha University itself – it is a rare bird indeed for Kyoto.

It is a private Christian institution founded in 1875 and the local Buddhist and Shinto priests were deeply opposed to its creation just north of the former Imperial Palace.

The founder’s wife – Yamamoto Yaeko​ – was ahead of her time and fought as a gunner for her samurai family during the – Boshin War – which was a civil war (1868-69) between the ruling military government in Edo – Tokugawa shogunate – and a group trying to restore the Imperial rule.

The latter won the day and the 王政復古 (日本) (restoration) was completed.

Yamamoto-san was loyal to the shogunate.

Later she opened a girl’s school in Kyoto after turning Christian and meeting her second husband – Niijima Jō – who had, himself, defied the isolationist policies of the shogunate and snuck abroad to the US to become a protestant missionary.

Sweet Potato Delicacy

The Japanese use Sweet Potato (Yam) in all sorts of interesting ways.

I had occasion last weekend to be down near Kyoto Station – I had to change a train ticket to another date and there is only one place that can be done in Kyoto – so I stopped into the food hall at the Daimaru Department store.

I avoid these places mostly, but the food hall is an extravaganza and you can get this sweet potato glazed in black sesame for a few dollars (335 yen).

And there is a little outside protected area with tables where you can have lunch which was useful given Sunday was very wet all day.

Delicious and 320 kcals.

The only downside with buying things in Japan is the packaging.

Everything is in plastic and over packaged – which is a major challenge for the planet.

The Japanese are somewhat concerned with ‘freshness’ and ‘cleanliness’ and think over packaging everything is the way to achieve that.

It will hard for them to abandon that cultural practice I think – but to save the planet something has to give.

I try not to buy things here that are over packaged but this sweet potato snack is beyond good and so compromised I was.

Daimaru, by the way, is still trying to live the old Department-store dream.

It is so big and so many people work there with floors and floors of expensive stuff for sale.

These types of shops are going out of vogue but somehow this shop in Kyoto survives.

Chrysanthemum display at Botanical Gardens

While Sunday was very wet, Saturday was a beautiful sunny day albeit not that warm.

So we decided it was a picnic day and that means riding our bikes out to a bakery we like in North Kyoto (Kitaoji) and getting bread, cheese at the shop next door, and some fruit etc from the grocery shop and then heading across the Kamogawa river to the Botanical Garden.

It is a 500 yen entry to the Garden but worth it.

At present there is their famous Chrysanthemum display and it was so nice in the sun, lying out on the main lawn area enjoying our picnic.

Several little kids were curious and came over, one little girl with a fire truck to show us.

Some elementary conversation followed and then, later she came back over to give us a high five and a bye-bye.

It was a nice afternoon.

The theme for the display seemed to be animals – snails, grasshoppers etc.

The gardeners prune these plants so skillfully and I visit these gardens a lot to wonder at their craft.

Aesthetics on drain pipes

The Japanese pay attention to aesthetics.

I was out riding the other day and noticed this drain pipe structure.

These creations are common in the little streets and definitely beat the straight downpipe look.

Tokyo Symposium

Last Thursday, November 6, 2025, I gave a presentation at the Symposium – 今求められる「責任ある積極財政」とは何か？ (What kind of ‘responsible and proactive fiscal policy’ is needed now?) – which was held in the National Diet Members’ Office Building (Parliament) in Tokyo.

It was a big event and a long list of Members of Parliament attended as well as top level bureaucrats in the policy ministries.

I was hoping to provide a streaming link to the event but the organisers didn’t pass it on to me in time.

A video of the proceedings is being prepared though and I will make the link available when it is done.

It was a great event and there is definitely an acceptance that monetary policy is not to be relied on and fiscal expansion is desirable.

Here is a shot of the audience – see if you find a non-male! This is Japan.

Here I am wondering what I am going to say next.

Here is Professor Satoshi Fujii who opened the Symposium and argued for fiscal expansion.

He is currently advising the Prime Minister and is my colleague and host at Kyoto University.

I also gave a talk last night to the Japan Society of Civil Engineers who are seeking input from me to help them construct a large macroeconometric model to guide infrastructure investment in Japan.

It was a nice evening and while I gave the talk at Kyoto University, it was Zoomed to Kobe and Tokyo, where others watched and participated.

One Professor watched it while travelling on the Shinkansen to Tokyo from Kyoto.

We got the band back together

Each year, I appear as a guest artist with a local rock band – Kyoto band Kazuchika Misawa – which has some of the best local players as members – at one of the premier music establishments in Kyoto.

We play rock and roll at one of the oldest and best live music venues – ‘live houses’ – in Kyoto.

Last Friday, November 7, 2025, we were out in force at the famous – Jittoku – in the Kamigyo Ward (not far West from the Imperial Garden and Palace complex).

It was an old sake brewery and the tables and chairs are recycled sake barrels.

Here is the view of the room from the stage.

I wrote about it in this blog post – Kyoto Report No 5 (November 8, 2022).

We introduced a new song this year – Smoke on the Water by Deep Purple – because the band members wanted to give recognition to the new Prime Minister and Deep Purple is her favourite band.

She was a punk drummer during her university days.

I will have videos of the show available some time in the future.

It was a great night – loud and louder.

Another week in Kyoto.