Author Archives: ChaySchiller

morning coffee at a store, more coffee– and a doughnut コーヒーを家で店ではドーナツも コーヒー を　いえ で みせ では　ドーナツ も – Chay Schiller – Japanese by Chay Schiller & Nakamura Michiko

work of art crossing the ocean to Kamakura! 芸術やいざ鎌倉と海渡る げいじゅつ や　いざ かまくら と　うみ わたる “To Kamakura!” is an interpretation of the Japanese expression いざ鎌倉 (iza kamakura), which today carries a meaning akin to “we’ve got to get to work!”. The … Continue reading →

Do not reveal the whole of your subject. The art of haiku lies in creating a full and rich image using only a few words, and the only way to do that is by having the reader participate in creating … Continue reading →

paradise a bus runs through it rattling quiet 楽園やバタバタ静かにバスが行く らくえん や　バタバタ しずかに　バス が いく – Chay Schiller

For all of the respect it receives, the haiku form is perhaps one of the most poorly understood here in America. Step into a high school English classroom and you may chance upon a poetry lesson in which various styles … Continue reading →

Don’t write using the 5-7-5 form. The haiku end up sounding way to long to anyone who is used to reading them in Japanese. The reason is that English uses fewer syllables to communicate meaning on average, and those syllables … Continue reading →

at a sacred bay life begins to stir cold and coffee 聖の湾命脈寝覚め寒にお湯 せい の わん　めいみゃく ねざめ　かん に おゆ – Chay Schiller – Japanese by Chay Schiller & Nakamura Michiko