Though it can be read as a standalone article, this is the fourth in a series on the Himeyuri Student Corps and follows their story from Haebaru and Itokazu to the southern caves in Itoman and also looks at caves…
Himeyuri Corps: Female High School Student Nurses during the Battle of Okinawa
During World War II Japan expected everyone to do their part in securing the nation’s unquestionable ultimate victory and this included teenagers. On the mainland high school students were drafted en masse to work in munitions factories turning out weapons…
Living in Taisho’s Tokyo: Shitamachi Museum and Kamiya Bar
Divided by a rigid caste system until the Meiji Restoration, Edo was stratified between those who lived in Yamanote, the lords and samurai, and Shitamachi, the more common classes such as craftsman and merchants. Shitamachi means “low town” which refers…
Nostalgic Kure: Irifuneyama Park
Nostalgic, beautiful and even whimsical were the three words that came to mind as I passed under the gate topped with a wrought-iron arch and into the park. Before me was a lush green space with over-sized paving stones for…
Revolutionary Nagasaki
When feudal Japan re-opened to foreign relations after centuries of isolation in the 19th century, it had a lot technological catching up to do and Nagasaki was at the forefront of Japan’s rapid modernization. Previously the home of Japanese Catholicism…
Free Day at Tokyo Station
Tokyo station is the starting point for visits to many of Tokyo’s great sights, but the historic station itself is also a destination to appreciate that doesn’t cost a thing to see. And for those looking to see Tokyo on…
Nagasaki’s Atomic-Bomb Surviving School: Shiroyama Elementary School
The Atomic Bomb Museum, Peace Park and hypocenter are Nagasaki’s most well-known cluster of sites associated with Aug. 9, 1945 atomic bombing but less than 500 meters away there’s another place that’s less known but with its own unique perspective…
Sasebo Fort: Exploring Ruins with a View
When Commodore Perry arrived in 1853 to deliver a letter, Japan had no means to keep the postman away. The nation was sent into chaos resulting in the overthrowing of the Shogunate, abolition of the feudal system and social class…
Tabaruzaka: A Japanese Gettysburg
Atop a certain hilltop in Kumamoto Prefecture is a serene park, with lanes of cherry trees and azaleas on its terraced hillside. It has a commanding view of the quiet farming community in the river valley beneath it and the…
Hijikata of Hakodate
There’s no other place quite like Hakodate in Japan. A truly historic international city on the northern island of Hokkaido, it has a French star-shaped fortress, old British and Russian churches and consulates and at turns is reminiscent of San…