In Chiba prefecture, far from the traditional cultural centers of Tokyo, Kyoto, and Nara, there is a temple complex called Nihonji. The temple is located on the side of a sacred mountain amidst an old rock quarry and has…
Meet Frank
This Ki-84 / Army Type 4 Hayate (Allied reporting name “Frank”) fighter is inside the Chiran Peace Museum for Kamikaze Pilots, the largest and most comprehensive kamikaze museum in Japan. I shot this as part of an upcoming story about…
Odawara Castle: The Rise and Fall of the Hojo
By: Dave Hansche I’ve written about several castles on this blog thus far, but it has occurred to me that I have overlooked a large rebuilt castle in a pleasant city about an hour away. I’ve visited Odawara…
A Candle-lit Walk in Kawatana: Katashima Taketoro Matsuri
Wandering around a candle-lit ruin in a memorial to the dead was the perfect way to spend the evening before Halloween, though it’s not as spooky or somber as it sounds. The second annual Katashima Taketoro Matsuri (Katashima Bamboo Lantern…
The Ghost of a Castle: Hara Castle Ruins
It’s less a castle ruin and more the ghost of a castle ruin. On the Shimabara peninsula there is a series of rises by the sea. The land rises like green walls and forms terraces, layered as they gain height…
Matsumoto Castle: The Pride of a Castle Town
Japan loves its castles. We’ve written about Japanese castles several times on this site, and it is unlikely that we will run out anytime soon. Every old feudal domain (called Han in old Japanese) capital city seems to have…
Sorry, but your article is in a different castle
Sorry for the delay, but there will be an update this week, maybe tomorrow, definitely before the end of Wednesday. A heavy work load and a nasty cold have left me unable to complete this weeks article on time. To…
Samukawa Jinja: Ancient History in a Sleepy Town
Samukawa is a town of less than 50,000 people located on the shores of the Sagami River in central Kanagawa Prefecture. The town comprises of mostly mixed residential and farmland, with some industry along the river. For most, the town…
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…