Essays and Writings

Here are some of my writings on a variety of topics. If you quote these articles please indicate the source. 

  • Chasing the light in dreams, my mini-essay on the nature of ‘dream time,’ appearing in the  Oct. 2, 2024 issue of Midweek, a weekly newspaper published by the Honolulu Star Advertiser.
  • One Body Five Dances is a review of a stunning dance performance by Peiling Kao, faculty of Dance, University of Hawai’i, Mānoa.
  • Watazumi Dô is a story of my encounter with the legendary shakuhachi player and Zen priest, Watazumi Rôshi.
  • The Death of Donald is my tribute to the late Donald Richie, a pioneering critic of Japanese film, writer, and keen observer of both himself and Japanese society. He was also my friend and mentor from 1982 until his death in 2013.
  • Asahi Falls, is an essay about the mendicant komusô monks who wandered the Izu Peninsula and the history of their temple, Rôgen-ji.
  • Agenashiku Island is a true story of an encounter with a remarkable shaman on an uninhabited Okinawa island.
  • You Have Become Japanese, a mini-essay about fitting into Japanese society (or not).
  • A Musician’s View, some blogging I did immediately following the March 11, 2011 earthquake/tsunami/nuclear power plant disaster.
  • An Exchange for Fire, an essay detailing the tragic disappearance of the poet Craig Arnold, was published originally in My Postwar Life (Chicago Quarterly Review Books, 2011).
  • Shômyô Sutra Chanting—The Wisdom of the Voice, a short outline of shômyô (Buddhist sutra chanting) and the concert I produced at the International House of Japan. The IHJ Bulletin, Vl. 31, No. 1, 2011.
  • Folk Songs and Music of the Japanese Archipelago, a description of Japanese folk music, and the concert I produced at the International House of Japan. The IHJ Bulletin, Vl. 30, No. 2, 2010.
  • Musical Words—Two American Poets at IHJ. Sam Hamill and Leza Lowitz gave a poetry reading at the I-House for one our Artists’ Forums. The IHJ Bulletin, Vl. 30, No. 2, 2010. 
  • The Shakuhachi and the World of the Single Tone, a brief description of the shakuhachi and the concert I produced at the International House of Japan. The IHJ Bulletin, Vl. 29, No. 1, 2009.
  • Music to the Ears, a brief introduction to the aural pleasures of Japanese music. JAL inflight magazine, Skyward, January, 2010.
  • Sound Japan: an article, originally appearing in the August, 2000 Japan Foundation Newsletter, outlining the significance of sound as a spiritual and musical phenomena in the Japanese culture.
  • The Last Breath of a Shakuhachi Great: Yamaguchi Goro’s obituary, The Japan Times, Jan. 8th, 1999.
  •  The Sound of Zen: an interview with me in The Nation, Thailand’s leading English language newspaper. (Feb. 8, 1999).