The suicidal kamikazes were the Japanese empire’s last ditch effort to slow advancing Allied forces. Viewed as tragic heroes today, most of them sortied out from Kyushu and many of the former kamikaze bases have sprouted memorial hall museums and…
Okinawa Quest
Okinawa abounds with legends and myths, surprises where least expected and rare animals that can’t be seen anywhere else. The island is dense with sacred places and scattered tombs that can be found by wandering off an unmarked side trail…
The Forgotten Story of Oba Castle
A samurai lord sits on a hillside, still dressed in his armor, looking across the swamp that stretches before him. Ise Sozui, known to history as the great Hojo Soun and founder of the mighty Late Hojo Clan, looks…
Meiji Maru and Monjayaki: Tokyo’s Free Museum Ship and Eating Tsukishima-Style
Meiji Maru is a ship with unique bragging rights- it’s the reason for a Japanese holiday. After the shogunate was deposed in 1868 and a new government took power, Japan began its rapid transition from feudalism to a modern industrial…
Experiencing Japanese History Through Travel: Sasebo Chinjufu Kaiheidan (Sasebo & Nimitz Park)
Today we look at the shared past of Nimitz Park and Sasebo Park as the Sasebo Chinjufu’s Kaiheidan. All history postcards are in my personal collection and all uncredited photography is by me. Photos/Videos of individuals taken with permission. Sakai…
A Cave Tied to Okinawa’s Origin: Mizugama no Gama
It’s hard getting out for a proper adventure between work and weather, but thankfully every hilltop and depression on Okinawa is sacred or has a legend so there’s always a point of interest within reach. This is Mizugama no gama,…
The Last Samurai and the Satsuma Rebellion: Battle of Wadagoe and Fall Back to Tawarano (Nobeoka)
Saigo Takamori was a samurai who helped bring about the modern Japanese state in 1868 with the Meiji Restoration. He led its government for a time but retired after falling out over what he perceived as corrupt politics. A few…
Sacred Sefa-utaki and Chinen’s Charming Overlook
According to legend the goddess Amamikyo first came to the island of Okinawa in what’s now Nanjo City on Okinawa’s southeastern Chinen peninsula. With her came the beginning of Ryukyu’s culture and native religion. Her children where the first kings…
The Titan of Sasebo
One of the things I miss about living in Sasebo is being surrounded by the historic and still used remains of a century old naval arsenal. In the majestic herd of towering cranes that rise over ancient red brick warehouses…
Take Me Home, Kyushu Roads: Seeing Japan’s Coal Country
In 1469 a Kyushu farmer made a bonfire in the wilderness which to his surprise set a black rock on fire. Centuries later, what started as a happy accident would go on to play a starring role in a critical…