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…
Tsumago and the Nakasendo Road : Day 1
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…
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…
The Merchants, the Middleman and the Matsuura
Travelers to Nagasaki Prefecture have a lot to choose from when it comes to visiting historic sites. A short list would include the site of a Mongol invasion in the 1200s, trading posts of the 1500s and 1600s, and naval…
It’s Pronounced “Bah-tah-ahn”
(It’s still 10 PM in Hawaii so technically this is on time. Also, originally posted last year at my comic website www.jakelivescomic.com) At work I’m known for talking about Philippine history, especially in World War II, so I’m occasionally joked…
Nara: Ancient Japan at its Finest
When people think of ancient Japan, many first think of the former capital city, Kyoto. Even many of the Japanese I meet, when I mention that I enjoy visiting historic places, one of the first questions I’m asked…
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…
Kakegawa – A Charming Castle Town
If you take the Shinkansen toward Nagoya, somewhere in Shizuoka you will pass through a small city called Kakegawa. For most people, the Japanese included, it is just a minor stop on the way to bigger and better things.…
Matsushiro Daihonei: Preparing to Fight the Final Battle of World War II
In early August 1945 World War II was far from over. Months and even years of fighting were still in the future of Japan and the United States as the Americans and their allies made amphibious assaults on the Japanese…
Welcome!
Welcome to Wayfarer Daves, a travel and history blog were two guys named David will share their travel experiences seeing historic sites and museums around the world. We hope to show people places they may have never heard of or…