This update of Wayfarer Daves will be a bit different. I had planned on finishing off an article about the museum ship Hikawa Maru for this week’s update, but I found something else occupying my thoughts today. I hope…
The Japanese Home Front VI: Safe at School (Mukyudo)
This series is about the Japanese home front in and around Sasebo, Japan during World War II. It is not a condemnation or critique of actions taken by either side during the war but rather a look at the civilian…
The Japanese Home Front V: Kawatana, Home of Shinyo and the Fish-Shaped Water Bomb (Katashima Torpedo Testing Facility and Shinyo Memorial)
This series is about the Japanese home front in and around Sasebo, Japan during World War II. It is not a condemnation or critique of actions taken by either side during the war but rather a look at the civilian…
Kawasaki’s Premier Folk Museum – Nihon Minkaen
A couple months ago I wrote about the number of folk museums in Japan and old buildings that the Japanese have preserved from their history. The best of these folk museums that I have found so far is a…
Lost in Time – Forgotten Relics of War
We are traveling again for the New Year, so this week’s article is a brief look at something a friend of mine and I found hiking near Zushi, Kanagawa. An acquaintance who lives in the area told me there…
The Great Stone Buddhas of Mount Nokogiri
In Chiba prefecture, far from the traditional cultural centers of Tokyo, Kyoto, and Nara, there is a temple complex called Nihonji. The temple is located on the side of a sacred mountain amidst an old rock quarry and has…
Odawara Castle: The Rise and Fall of the Hojo
By: Dave Hansche I’ve written about several castles on this blog thus far, but it has occurred to me that I have overlooked a large rebuilt castle in a pleasant city about an hour away. I’ve visited Odawara…
Tsumago and the Nakasendo Road: Day 2
By: Dave Hansche If you haven’t read day one yet, you can find it here: http://www.wayfarerdaves.com/?p=615 When we left off, my co-blogging friend and I had just finished a rainy hike into Tsumago-juku, an old post town on the…
Horyuji Temple – Stepping Back in Time
When Dave and I traveled around Japan for New Year, it was a trip full of superlatives. Almost everywhere we went was the most beautiful, oldest, biggest, or best in Japan. Todaiji, which I wrote about in my last article,…
Todaiji: Buddhism in Japan
The early and mid-700s was a hard time for early Japan, especially for the Imperial family. There were rebellions, famines, and outbreaks of disease. The Emperor Shomu, who reigned at the time, was forced to change the capital four…