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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...

Politics in the 19th Century: Shogun vs Emperor

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 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]

Emperor and Shogun: The political scene in the 1860s

Politics changed sharply at the end of the Edo period (1603-1868): the period came to an end. But the fact that the period came to an end, after 250 years of stability and continuity raises the question Why? Historians approach the question from two directions. One is perhaps more obvious: Westerners came and their coming… [Read more]

Takayama Hikokuro

A samurai in the Edo period, Takayama Hikokuro (1747-93) is more symbol than substance since few facts are known for sure about him. The statue of Takayama at the Sanjo Bridge in Kyoto is a testament to the impact he had, but there are many stories which surround his legend. One popular tale has it… [Read more]

Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War of 1904-5 was the outcome of competition between two imperial empires seeking to dominate the area around Manchuria and Korea. The war was fought at the end of Russia’s supply line and was made more difficult for the Russians by the 1905 Revolution in Russia. Japan suffered heavy casualties, about 100,000, but Russia lost more heavily, including the Baltic Fleet which was sunk in the Battle of Tsushima. As a consequence, the two nations continued to view each other as potential enemies until World War II.

The Ashita Honjin

The Shinkansen

Castle Towns

Omote-ura - Public and Private Faces

Landslides

Namiki

Pilgrimage

Kyoto Development Issues

Kyoto Development Issues

Emperor and Shogun: The political scene in the 1860s

Takayama Hikokuro

The Five Roads

The Origins of the Japanese People

Basho’s Life and Work

Ise Shrines

20th Century Travel

Politics in the 19th Century: Shogun vs Emperor

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