Japan is a beautiful country, filled with towering mountain peaks and sleeping volcanoes, and crisscrossed by springs, rivers, and mountain streams. Every time I wander into the mountains of rural Japan, I am amazed at how stunningly beautiful it…
Folk Museums in Japan
When I was young, about an hour from my home was a folk museum and living history site called Norskedalen. This old site, nestled in the back of a valley in the middle of nowhere, but it…
Last Warship Standing: USCGC Taney
When I first laid eyes on the old cutter berthed at Pier Five in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, I didn’t think much of her. Part of a maritime collection that boasts a sloop that fought in the U.S. Civil War and…
Byodoin: The Power of the Fujiwara Clan
On the way from Kyoto to Nara, about half way between the two cities, lies Uji. Uji is a modern city, founded in the 1950s, however the area has been a popular site for noble estates since one of…
Storytelling at Lake Bracciano: The Italian Air Force Museum
There are many fine military aviation museums in the world but living in Italy means I don’t need to fly far to find one. The Museo Storico dell’Aeronautica Militare Italiana, Italian Air Force Museum, located on Lake Bracciano has an…
Hamamatsu Castle: A Missed Opportunity
In my last post, I wrote about the charming castle they rebuilt in Kakegawa. As it turns out, the next city down the line towards Nagoya, Hamamatsu, also has a rebuilt castle. Hamamatsu castle, however, is on the opposite…
Take Flight Into the Past
Kanoya, in the far south of Japan’s southernmost main island, is a rather inconvenient location for an air museum. It’s more than 500 miles from Tokyo and getting there via public transport requires taking a Shinkansen bullet train to the…
Ft. Meade is Rather Inconvenient for European Tank Lovers, Isn’t It?
For those living in the Old World, visiting Ft. Meade’s small post museum to see the ultimate World War I heavy tank, besides the TOG II*, would be a bit of a trip. As mentioned the Mark VIII was an…
Mark VIII: Joint Tank Designed to Help End War to End War
This tank has been or will be moved to the US Army’s Armor & Cavalry Collection at Ft. Benning, which is not open to the public. Today’s Joint Strike Fighter is an example of the modern push to have militaries…