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

Mountain Passes

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 edges of sharply defined valleys. They frequently are placed below steep hills, on land which could serve no agricultural use in order to maximize the… [Read more]

Toge – Mountain Passes

Toge (mountain passes) are a major preoccupation along the Nakasendo because they presented significant obstacles to travelers in the feudal period. Although they are generally not so steep that they prevent movement, they did challenge a traveler and create an impression. Passes like Torii-toge, for example, ran through countryside which is isolated even today. Edo… [Read more]

Liberal-Democratic Party
The Liberal-Democratic Party was the ruling party in Japan, remaining in constant power from its formation in 1955 until August 1993. The party’s election success has varied from a bare majority in the crucial House of Representatives to nearly two-thirds majority. The party is conservative and broadly favors big business and the civil service, but at the same time, its economic policies brought prosperity to a very wide spectrum of society. The party was formed from two conservative parties which could trace their origins back to the two dominant parties in the pre-World War II era, but which were individually threatened by the rise of left-wing parties in the period 1945 to 1955. Since 1960, the party’s primary emphasis and success has been in fostering economic growth. Because it is composed of several factions, however, the party is not famous for it’s ability to come to quick, innovative decisions. Trade issues, foreign policy, and corruption have been problematic areas for the party in the 1980s and 1990s.

Namiki

The Ashita Honjin

Kyoto Development Issues

Landslides

Pilgrimage

The Shinkansen

Castle Towns

Omote-ura - Public and Private Faces

Landslides

Toge – Mountain Passes

Tea Houses

The Battleground at Sekigahara

Political Parties

The Present Constitution and Political System

The 1992 Upper House Election

Mountain Passes

Company Profile

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