I was a few days late for it, but I went to Sasebo for my first takoyaki of the year! Oh, and I also made my first shrine visit of the year too. Hatsumode, the first shrine visit of the…
A Weekend Getaway in Tsuwano
Tsuwano I’d see the hillside trail, a zigzagging path covered end-to-end by red torii gates the night before. It was lit up by lanterns along the way which in the inky night almost appeared as if floating in the sky,…
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…
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,…
Climbing Big Mountain
It was a fine, fall Saturday – partly sunny skies, pleasant temperatures, and lingering fall colors. It was a great day for a hike, so I decided to head back to Oyama – literally Big Mountain in Japanese- a holy…
A Series of Adventures at Summers End
As many of our regular readers know, Wayfarer Daves is two photographers named Dave who enjoy writing and travel. Regulars, or those who have read past articles, will also know that we each live on different Japanese islands with…
Trains, Tanks, Tiki Bars and Totsugeki! A Holiday on the Move
Trains, tanks, tiki bars, military reenactors, and anime, it was just another typical vacation in Japan. Some may take six days as time to do a little this or that, personally I take it as a challenge to see how…
The Fall of Kamakura
In my last article, we talked about the rise of the Genpei wars and the rise of the first true military government of Japan, the Shogunate, or Bafuku. This week, I want to fast forward and look at the…
Finding History – Ishibashiyama
A party of samurai camped on a mountainside south of modern day Odawara, answering the call to rise up against the Taira clan who had seized power and replaced the reigning emperor with a puppet of their own bloodline.…
Discovering Local History – Chigasaki’s Oldest Place
I took a long walk down Route 1 back when I lived in Chigasaki, Japan, and on my walk I found a large torii gate standing along the highway, seemingly by itself. At the time, I thought this was…