If you travel to Katase-Enoshima station, near the beaches in southern Fujisawa, you might see the top of a pagoda peaking above the trees on a nearby hillside. Ryukoji is not a large temple, especially compared to the sprawling…
The Satomi Clan and the Battles of Konodai Castle
1564. Satomi Yoshihiro looked out across the Edo River at the Hojo forces arraying against him, just as his father had 26 years prior. The elder Satomi, Yoshitaka, was defeated by Hojo Ujitsuna in the first battle of Konodai and…
Finding History in old Photos
Lately it seems that I’m being pulled more and more into the historical aspects of photography. I don’t mean photographing history, we’ve always done that here. I mean diving into old photos, old methods, and even a Meiji Period…
Hidden War Brought to Light: Defunct Imperial Japanese Army Noborito Laboratory Museum for Education in Peace
In a corner of Meiji University’s Ikuta campus sits a small drab building. Well-maintained and completely non-descript it could be another classroom tucked away from the campus’ other towering facility. The only unusual thing about it is a large sign…
Inuyama Castle – A Soggy Edo Adventure
If you’ve been following our Facebook, you’ve seen that Mr. Krigbaum and I met up in Inuyama, a small city on the border with Aichi and Gifu Prefectures for several days of museum goodness. David wanted to hit Meiji-Mura, the…
Surviving Summer in Japan
Those of you who keep up on international news, especially that coming from Japan, may have heard that the Land of the Rising Sun has been suffering through a particularly hot and humid summer. The latter half of July…
The Other Sasebo: Kids on the Slope Film Locations in Showa no Machi
Back in March my wife and I saw Sakamichi no Apollon (Kids on the Slope), a movie about a trio of high school kids who bond over jazz in 1966 Sasebo. It was kind of a big deal in Sasebo…
Forgotten History in Ofuna
I was digging through old photos last week and I stumbled on some shots I snapped back in 2015 of a large, but rather unremarkable temple in nearby Ofuna. I visited with a friend on a dull summer day,…
Naritasan Shinshoji Temple – Respite Near the Airport
Dave Hansche here. It is my week to post an article, but I am really busy. Recently started a new job, photo sessions all weekend, and more upcoming this week. But I also know I’ve not been great about…
Exploring Sakura
A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of being hired for a photo shoot in Narita in Chiba Prefecture, in an amazing park and temple complex not far from Narita Airport that I will have to write about sometime…