A long line of bibliophiles waited for Pico Ayer to sign A Beginner’s Guide to Japan after his comments, but I was more interested in a book he’d written 28 years earlier when he first arrived in Japan from the busy streets of Manhattan; The Lady and the Monk: Four seasons in Kyoto. 1991.
This morning Patricia, as we often do, read to me an interesting passage where Pico captures a form of Japanese intimacy: ai ai gasa, Japanese love symbolism.
There is lyric in Pico Ayer’s writing about Japan which compels me to nominate it to our list of Readings on Japan for those planning a visit. Just a few pages into The Lady and the Monk I can see how it will frame your upcoming visit to Kyoto.
I still want to know what moved Pico from his manic life in Manhattan to becoming a monk in a Kyoto Buddhist Monastery. One day I’ll sit down for a chat with him.
This morning Patricia, as we often do, read to me an interesting passage where Pico captures a form of Japanese intimacy: ai ai gasa, Japanese love symbolism.
There is lyric in Pico Ayer’s writing about Japan which compels me to nominate it to our list of Readings on Japan for those planning a visit. Just a few pages into The Lady and the Monk I can see how it will frame your upcoming visit to Kyoto.
I still want to know what moved Pico from his manic life in Manhattan to becoming a monk in a Kyoto Buddhist Monastery. One day I’ll sit down for a chat with him.
