In Nakagusuku village there’s a rather ordinary forested hill that’s been known by many names. The old Okinawans of Nakagusuku Village called it “Kishimaki-no-taki,” a sacred site of prayer. To the Imperial Japanese Army it was “161.8 Kouchi Jinchi,” a…
Because I didn’t know what my options were until I arrived, I set aside the afternoon of my anime sightseeing day trip to Nanjo City for whatever locally spoke to me. Since the Sefa-Utaki, the most sacred place in Okinawa’s…
Sorry I’ve been so quiet lately, it’s been a busy few months. Back in May I began preparations for a series of school presentations I gave through June called Teenage Life in Wartime Japan. I’ll be writing about that soon,…
This article was originally published in Stripes Japan; ideally I’ll do full blown pieces on each of these locations. Plus Meiji-mura, again. Nagoya is an easy access point into Japan’s cultural heartland. It is also one which samurai armies fought…
Meiji-mura is an open air architectural park with dozens of architectural and still functional technological wonders from turn-of-the-century Japan. I came ready to see the era and even dressed in a yukata with fedora, like all the old Japanese men…
After learning about the beers drank in the Meiji and Taisho eras, the next logical step was to learn about the eras’ cocktails. The recipes for mixing liquor travel well and last a really long time compared to beers. To…
This is the second and final part of a series on Mojiko, Kitakyushu. Mojiko’s waterside is a quiet place with a park like atmosphere most notable for its unobstructed view of Shimonoseki across the Kanmon Strait and being a place…
In the early 20th century Yokohama and Kobe were Japan’s first and second most important ports, places through which new foreign goods flowed and passengers embarked vessels to go abroad and discover new ideas and those coming to bring them…
Updated Dec. 20, 2021: All Google Maps images removed and replaced with photos from my recent visit to Tokyo! May 21, 2024: Port Opening Memorial Hall added! We’re exploring the Imperial Capital (Teito) of Sakura Wars, a unique take on…
This is the fifth and final entry in a series on the Himeyuri Student Corps and related war sites on Okinawa. My trip through southern Okinawa to visit the Himeyuri-related caves and tunnels ended not in a dark hole in…