Visiting Bruges is like walking through a series of postcards. An old city of medieval buildings, soaring brick towers, cobblestone and scenic canals that surround and cut through it, it’s hard not to take a shot that couldn’t be stamped…
Two Days on the Nakasendo (Video)
This photo video contains images from a walking trip through the best preserved and most beautiful section of the old Nakasendo, or Central Mountain Road, that passes through the Kiso Valley. Dave and I started in Nagiso-machi (former Midono-juku),…
Tsumago and the Nakasendo Road: Day 2
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…
History Layered in Stone: Sassi di Matera
An ancient city built vertically on a mountainside with a grand vista for a backdrop, visiting Matera feels like location scouting for the next Indiana Jones movie or Uncharted game. Matera is a remote town in the mountainous Basilicata region…
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…
Jinmu-ji and Mt. Takatori – A hiking paradise
One of the great things about living in Japan, and in Kanagawa in particular, is that there are always new and interesting places just waiting to be discovered. There always seems to be some cluster of old shops, an…
A Jogashima Walking Adventure
In addition to its immense and ancient history, Japan is also a land of great natural beauty. A bit more than a year ago, I had the privilege of experiencing some of that beauty at a place called Jogashima.…