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

Old and New Roads

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 16th century. Ashita honjin offers a unique opportunity to observe one story of the changing fortunes of the most important building in any post-town, from… [Read more]

Old and New Highways

Tracing the path of a bygone highway across Japan, it seems easy to distinguish between the ‘old’ and the ‘modern’ routes. Along the Nakasendo, for example, there are many places where the old and new highways overlap for a while before the two routes diverge. Often this occurs on the approach to an Edo period… [Read more]

Pure Land Buddhism
Pure Land Buddhism (Jodo Buddhism) is a variety of popular Buddhism developed in China and imported to Japan in the 12th century. There are several varieties of Pure Land Buddhism, but the common denominator is the assumption that the world is so corrupt that the believer cannot attain salvation in the Pure Land (also called the Western Paradise) by his or her own efforts. Instead, the aid of one who has attained salvation must be sought. In some sects, a phrase is repeated over and over to secure help; in others, the preferred phrase need only be said once in a lifetime. The popular appeal of this variety of Buddhism, compared to earlier sects which demanded decades of study, was tremendous.

Namiki

Pilgrimage

The Ashita Honjin

The Shinkansen

Kyoto Development Issues

Landslides

Castle Towns

Omote-ura - Public and Private Faces

The Ashita Honjin

Old and New Highways

Suburban development

Commerce

Political Parties

Market Gardening

River Crossings

Old and New Roads

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