Ouchijuku is a small thatched roofed village that was a post town during the Edo period, on the road linking Edo (Tokyo) & Sendai. Established in 1600’s as a post town it was important during the Edo period because the Daimyo had to travel regularly between the city of Edo and their domains, as a requirement of… Read More Ouchi Juku, Fukuhima prefecture
The name translates to ‘small peak’ castle and it is considered one of the three most important castles in the Tohoku region. This lovely castle just north of where I live was severely damaged in the March 2011 earthquake. When I last visited in 2012 it was closed and not much sign of activity, but… Read More Komine Castle, Shirakawa, Fukushima Prefecture
Nihonbashi bridge is a very historic site in Tokyo. Nihonbashi actually translates to Japan Bridge. It is in the Chuo district of Tokyo and has linked the areas on either side of the river at this site since the 17th century. It was initially a wooden bridge and was first constructed in 1603. From reading about… Read More Nihonbashi Bridge, Tokyo
Senkakuji is a small Sōtō Zen Buddhist temple in Minato-ku district in Tokyo not far from Shinagawa station. It is famous for the graves of the 47 Ronin one of Japan’s most well-known stories and the most famous story of the Samurai code of “Bushido” – courage, loyalty and honor. The story of the 47… Read More Senkakuji
Tochigi City, is a city in the South of Tochigi Prefecture, actually not the capital despite its name (Utsunomiya is the capital). Tochigi city is well know because it was an important town on the road between Tokyo and Nikko in the Edo period. (1600-1867) Kaido were ancient roads in the Edo period established to… Read More Tochigi City, Tochigi prefecture,.
Aizu-Wakamatsu is a castle town north west of where I live with a long samurai tradition. We decided to go there one weekend for a look around, its a couple of hours drive, so not so far. On the way there we went around Lake Inawashiro which was beautiful with the Autumn colors. The Aizu Dai Jibo… Read More Aizu Wakamatsu
The Yoshiwara was a famous pleasure district,(red-light district) in old Edo, present-day Tōkyō, Japan. In the early 17th century the Tokugawa shogunate restricted prostitution to designated districts to try to restrict prostitution. The Yoshiwara was created near what is today known as Nihonbashi. In 1656 the government decided to relocate Yoshiwara to its present… Read More Yoshiwara
I’ve been a few times out to this area, because it is really interesting and steeped in History. What first started my research was the discovery that there were a number of Tumulus in the area, so with a tip from a friend I went looking and found 3 easily.. Kofun (ancient mounds) refers to the… Read More Nakagawa River area
Kawagoe (川越市) is a city located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. It is known also as little Edo because it still has some streets and houses preserved from that period. Kurazukuri Street – Kurazukuri no machinami is a section of a street lined with traditional warehouses constructed in a style called kurazukuri and maintains… Read More Kawagoe
This temple is a Soto Zen temple that is more than 600 years old, it was established in 1404. The 7 thatched buildings are designated of cultural property by Tochigi Prefecture. Some parts from 1448 still exist despite numerous destructions and reconstructionsThe temple is in Kurobane on the east side of the Naka River, it flows from the volcanic Mt.… Read More Daio-ji Temple
Just Life in Japan 