What Does KJ Stand For?

KJ is in many ways a unique publication. Firstly, it is not only non-profit, but also completely volunteer-based, over a very wide-reaching network. None of the editors – or contributors – are paid. We remain, of course, deeply grateful for the dedicated long-term support of Harada Shokei, our former publisher, of Heian Bunka Center, who enabled us to produce 75 printed issues, from 1987 through 2010.

Since then, KJ has become a registered Japanese NPO (an “ippan shadin hojin”) with a board of directors (John Einarsen, Ken Rodgers, Susan Pavloska, Sugimoto Masao, and Stewart Wachs). And our magazine has further evolved to take on a new identity as a digital publication with a strong online presence through this fresh new website, and our very active Facebook presence — with vast potential for diversification of multimedia content, and the life-spark of active connectivity. (We also intend to publish occasional special issues in print, like our recent Fresh Currents project).

We believe that KJ’s uniqueness extends to its editorial approach, its content – the range of topics covered – and to our approach to design.

A journal, whether public or private, is an ongoing means of looking afresh at the inhabited world, both social and natural. In selecting material for KJ we look for intelligent work that comes also from the heart. We are curious about society, beliefs, traditions and new developments — how people live, and live well — through the lens of Asian experience. Our generous contributors share valuable Asian insights through special features, interviews and profiles, fiction, poetry, photo-essays and reviews, in both omnibus and specially themed issues.

The unique aspect of KJ’s award-winning visual presentation is that our designers shape each story according to its individual content, without relying on templates. Each article is a separate exploration and finds its own form, while often existing in a deliberate interplay with other pieces, meaning that each issue adds up to more than the sum of its parts.

Our name, “Kyoto Journal,” also reflects more than a physical location. Kyoto is a place of deep spiritual and cultural heritage, and has been the measure of such things here in Japan for more than a millennium. Kyoto culture has looked deeply inwards (think Zen, and a host of related experiential paths) and has also drawn richly from outside, especially in relatively recent years since the Meiji modernization. Essentially, KJ is a community that transcends place, while respecting and celebrating regional and local identity.

We aim to make the best use of the media at hand in continuing to seek the essence of Asia. Care to join us?

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