A journey to the heart of Japan
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 certainly the idea was copied by the Japanese, along with all other features of Chinese highways, when they laid out their own highway system at… [Read more]
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 residences for provincial lords (daimyo) and their retainers, castle towns necessarily became local administrative headquarters through which political authority was channeled from the shogun’s citadel… [Read more]
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 advised the American military authorities during World War II counseled against bombing the city, although it had been targeted at one time as a site… [Read more]
Just before noon on the first of September, 1923, a huge earthquake struck Tokyo and the surrounding Kanto region. Registering 7.8 on the scale used by the Meteorological Agency of Japan, the initial tremor was followed by hundreds of small and one more large earthquake during the following days. They added to the worry and… [Read more]
The origins of department stores go back to 1673 when the Mitsui family established a dry-goods store in Edo, at the terminus of the Nakasendo. The shop was eventually renamed Mitsukoshi in 1928 and was the basis for the commercial success of the family; Mitsui became an extended corporation before World War II and has… [Read more]
Nihonbashi, which means ‘Bridge of Japan’, is less impressive than one would imagine. As the point from which all highway distances are measured, it seems that it should stand out in the urban landscape. Instead, it has a dirty, stagnant canal under it and a rumbling elevated expressway above, adding dark shadow to a peculiar bouquet, especially in summer…. [Read more]
Like all major urban areas in the world, Japanese cities have seen massive suburban expansion in recent decades. The nature of suburban development, however, has been significantly different from that in most other countries. Many Japanese suburbs have developed around what were once small villages and towns rather than as divisions or subdivisions carved out… [Read more]
Tateba or rest stops were located mid-way between post-towns. Typically, they were a small cluster of tea houses which were unofficially established by local people who took advantage of the needs of travelers who would stop for a rest and some refreshment before moving on to the next official post-town. Today, some tateba have disappeared… [Read more]
Despite the impression widely held outside Japan that the country has a society based firmly on consensus and harmony, modern protest has a rich history. Some of the reason for this may lie with the Allied Occupation which sought to instill individualism and individual right among the population while strengthening organizations which could resist authoritarian… [Read more]
There is a long tradition of rebellion by peasants in premodern times. Revolts sometimes occurred because of starvation as a result of crop failure. At other times, peasants revolted as a limited protest against the government of the time. Their intention was not to overthrow the government, but to gain something specific, like relief from… [Read more]
In the , the definition of a daimyo was a lord with an assessed tax income of 10,000 koku (1 koku equals about 5 US bushels) from rice land. Sometimes, the lesser daimyo were called shomyo, changing the character for big (dai) with the character for small (sho). They were, of course, military men who… [Read more]
In contrast to many larger castle towns such as Hikone or Takasaki relatively little survives in Annaka today to suggest that this place was also the castle town of a daimyo in the Edo period. In part this is due to the small size of Annaka. By the time of the Meiji Restoration in 1868… [Read more]
Takeda Shingen (1521-1573) has been described as the prime example of the Warring States period daimyo in that he was tremendously successful in accomplishing limited, regional goals (expansion of his domains) by means of a series of temporary alliances which were quickly broken or reformed according to the need of the moment. Regional success was… [Read more]
Eleven miles in circumference, but only 25 feet deep at the most, the proximity of Lake Suwa to surrounding hot springs, and the fine view across the Lake to Mount Fuji make it a popular tourist destination. The fame of the lake is due to the fact that it ices over every year from December… [Read more]
Originally, “mon” or family crests were used in Japan in much the same way that nobles in Europe used heraldic devices. Imperial court families have been recorded using “mon” in the 8th century, but the practice was not very widespread or rigorous. With the rise of the samurai class, there was a greater need for… [Read more]
Niegawa Barrier Station is one of two seki which have been reconstructed along the Nakasendo in recent times, the other being at Kiso-Fukushima. Its origins go back to the Warring States period when local warrior lords erected many of these structures at regular intervals along the highways. Their purpose was to check on the movement… [Read more]
While many post-towns had bansho which were required to keep watch over the highway, there were barriers (seki or sekisho, barrier station) at intervals which had special duty to inspect each passing traveler and porter. The primary purpose of a seki was to prevent the movement of two dangerous commodities. One was the smuggling out… [Read more]
In a recent campaign organized by the local town office the people of Narai and surrounding villages were asked to dig out all their old photographs. The collection that was brought together provides a most graphic account of the changes that have taken place here during the last hundred years. The hills surrounding the village… [Read more]
Article 9 is a section in the new 1946 Japanese constitution which amended completely the old Meiji constitution. One of the objectives of the Allied Occupation was to demilitarize Japan so that it could never again go to war. After the demobilization of the Japanese military, Article 9 was added to the constitution with the… [Read more]
The Japanese political system was reformed by the Allied Occupation after 1945 in ways that were intended to democratize the country by removing impediments to democracy and by imposing some new institutions. At the top on the national level, the emperor is now a ceremonial institution, much like the British monarchy. The institution still has,… [Read more]
The Meiji constitution was promulgated by the emperor in 1889 and was replaced by the present constitution which was promulgated in November 1946 and put into action in May 1947. The Meiji constitution was flexible enough to permit considerable change; it left ambiguous the relationship between several major institutions of government and was long criticized… [Read more]
One of the most important areas of constitutional law that was changed in the 1946 constitution was civil liberties and rights. The old Meiji constitution placed significant limitations on all the basic rights which many countries have come to accept: freedom of speech was guaranteed subject to the limitations of laws which could be changed;… [Read more]
The Kiso forest is famous for the quality of its lumber. During the Edo period, the ruling samurai class put so much value on the wood that common people were prohibited from cutting the five trees of the Kiso river valley. Shimazaki Toson’s novel Before the Dawn relates in the first few pages the case… [Read more]
The railroad in Japan is the focus of a great deal of romanticism. Children can frequently be found taking snap shots of their favorite trains, especially the rare ones, while adults travel further afield to do the same or simply to ride the rails in the more inaccessible parts of the train system. Much of… [Read more]
Trains came to Japan late and like many technological advances railways arrived after being well developed elsewhere. This allowed the Japanese to begin building in the 1870s with a good view of the technological choices they needed to make. Early railroads were constructed by the government which decided on a standard gauge; henceforth, the government’s… [Read more]
The Japanese government correctly perceived at an early date that a good railway system would be beneficial to the economy. The first small railway ran from Tokyo to Yokohama in 1872, but gradually the system was extended until it connected Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe, the main cities of the center of Japan. Soon freight… [Read more]
Kura are a distinctive feature of house architecture throughout Japan and are seen in both rural and urban areas. The wooden structure of most houses is very prone to fire, but kura, separated from the main house, offered storage and protection for valuables. Kura have thick, mud walls, heavy, fire-proof windows and walls, and are… [Read more]
Japanese gardens hold a well-deserved reputation throughout the world. The most famous ones are located mainly in Kyoto, but gardens of national repute are scattered throughout the islands. In addition to serious gardening at this level, most homes and inns have modest gardens which, although much smaller, require equal attention. Gardens may be large and… [Read more]
Although there are sharp differences between houses from various regions of Japan in terms of roof shape and roofing material, for example, many features are common. In general, all houses contain tatami (thick straw mats) for flooring. The size of the mats is standard so the layout of all rooms conforms to set sizes: 3… [Read more]
The provision of lodging for high-ranking travelers was obligatory at most post-towns, and nearly all had at least one honjin (chief inn) and waki-honjin (assistant chief inn) for such people to rest. Ordinary travelers could also stay here, provided they were prepared to pay the higher fees and no higher ranking person was already expected…. [Read more]
Walk Japan Ltd.
1736 Radio City,
505 Hennessy Road,
Causeway Bay,
Hong Kong SAR
© Copyright 2021 Walk Japan
