Omote-ura - Public and Private Faces

Omote (the public face) and ura (the private face) are twin concepts that are applied to almost any aspect of Japan or life in Japan. Omote refers to the image... Read more...
Kyoto Development Issues

Kyoto holds a unique position in Japan as the ancient, imperial capital and the cultural center of the nation. It was because of these reasons that the Japan specialists who... Read more...
Landslides

The mountains in Japan are very steep and the rocks unstable due to weathering. Landslides are common whenever there are heavy rains. Many rural villages have established themselves along the... Read more...
Castle Towns

At the time of the Meiji Restoration, in 1868, some 250 castle towns (jokamachi) formed the core of a well developed urban network in Japan. Although constructed primarily as defended... Read more...
Pilgrimage

The idea of making a pilgrimage to visit religious places is present in nearly every culture and religion. In Japan, it is typical of both major religions, Buddhism and Shinto... Read more...
Namiki

The idea of planting trees along the roadside to provide shade for travelers had occurred to the Chinese when they developed their highway system more than 2000 years ago. Almost... Read more...
The Shinkansen

The Shinkansen is commonly known outside Japan as the 'bullet train' but the word actually means 'new trunk line'. It is a high-speed passenger train system which now stretches from... Read more...
The Ashita Honjin

Although only a small town, Ashita boasts the oldest surviving honjin on the Nakasendo. It has also been owned by the same family since its' original construction in the late... Read more...

Samurai

Miyamoto Musashi

Miyamoto Musashi (1584-1645) was the most famous swordsman, teacher of the Way of the Sword, and ronin (masterless samurai) of the early Edo period. His story has been enshrined in popular legend, novel and movie; the movie is repeated on television each New Years in either its 7 or 15-hour version. Musashi was like many… [Read more]

Ronin (masterless samurai)

“Ronin” is the Japanese term for a masterless samurai and is written with the characters for ‘floating’ and ‘man’, i.e., a warrior adrift with no lord to serve nor stipend for income. During the late stages of the Warring States period and early years of the Edo period, many samurai were thrown out of work… [Read more]

The Way of the Sword

The sword was the preferred weapon of the samurai as well as the warrior’s symbol of office in the Edo period. All other classes of people were prohibited from bearing any arms. During the Edo period, the social position of the samurai class was ideologically affirmed by the use of Confucian social philosophy under which… [Read more]

Meiji period
The Meiji period (1868-1912) was one of the most dramatic in Japanese history. It began with the overthrow of the feudal system of the Edo period (1603-1868), continued with the complete dismantling of the feudal social and economic systems, and major strides were made toward the creation of a modern nation. By the end of the period, Japan was strong enough economically and militarily to have beaten China and Russia and allied itself with Great Britain. It created a parliamentary system of government and to a large extent adopted Western cultural forms.

Omote-ura - Public and Private Faces

Kyoto Development Issues

Landslides

Castle Towns

Pilgrimage

Namiki

The Shinkansen

The Ashita Honjin

Miyamoto Musashi

Ronin (masterless samurai)

The Way of the Sword

River and Sea Transport

Climatic Disasters

17th Century Travel

The Early Road System

Seasons and Climate

Samurai

Company Profile

Site Map

Connect with us

Explore