Yoshie Doi

October 6, 2024 Doshisha Alumni Hall

   This is the fifth time we have held the “Love Letter to Kyoto” contest, which has been open to the public since 2009. Although many people were unable to attend this time due to ill health, work, or being posted overseas, we welcomed the winners from all over Japan and held the awards ceremony.

　We received many thank-you emails and phone calls from those who attended, with comments such as, “Sunday was a precious time that cleansed my soul. Thank you very much,” “It was a wonderful time,” and “Thank you for the fun time.”

　For us, the organizers, this award ceremony reminded us that Kyoto is a city with special meaning. We felt that Kyoto is a city with a new role, fusing the wisdom of the Heian period with the energy of the present. Wisdom for living, harmony and balance, spiritual richness, and human strength can be found in a proverb from the end of the Edo period, “A nap in Kyoto is better than learning and writing in the countryside” (Classification of Proverbs in Japanese Studies, compiled by Hachiya Motachibana).

　In modern terms, there is a proverb that goes, “Three days of napping in Kyoto is worth more than three years of studying in the countryside.” Kyoto does not currently have this kind of ability, but we would like to take on the challenge of activities that attempt to revive it and bring out its potential for evolution.

　Although Kyoto people may take it for granted, there are many Kyoto culture and customs that are not commonplace in other countries or regions, and I have come to understand them better thanks to comments from people in other regions.

　The Secretary General of Kyo-Suzume applied for the second Kyoto Love Letter contest while he was supporting the development of semiconductor manufacturing equipment in Silicon Valley, California. Since then, he has been carrying out his activities alongside his busy day job. Another director participated in the second Okudosan Summit, and now works on Kyo-Suzume alongside his busy day job, having a business trip to the US every month. The other director is the president of the only successful local media company in the country, and is active in Osaka.

　They are all very busy CEOs and it can be hard to keep in touch with them, but I am very grateful to the staff, from whom I have learned so much. I am also very grateful to the people who came from Kamakura and Nara to help run the event, and to those who rushed over in their spare time from work.

　The winner of this year’s Kyoto Love Letter Grand Prize applied after seeing a flyer at an Arashiyama Dentetsu station, and is a tough guy who has won the prize four times in a row.

　We have received many comments about this year’s award ceremony. The “Love Letter to Kyoto” project is a nationwide event, so I imagine that the preparation and management were difficult. However, thanks to everyone’s careful preparation and ingenuity, it was a wonderful and meaningful award ceremony. This was clearly evident from the proud expressions on the winners’ faces. At the same time, we were reminded once again that “Love Letter to Kyoto” is an important project originating from Kyoto that must continue for a long time to come. We have received many requests for the event to continue in the future.

　In two years, we will celebrate our 25th anniversary, and our next Love Letter to Kyoto will be the sixth. This will be a public event to celebrate our 25th anniversary, so we hope you will all apply. Together, we hope to bring out the challenges and attractions of Kyoto, as well as the power that resides in Kyoto.

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Translated by Masami Otani

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