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

University Education

The University of Tokyo

The University of Tokyo is considered the best university in Japan although Kyoto University runs a close second. Commonly called Todai which is short for Tokyo daigaku, the institution has always had a privileged place in the educational system. In this century, the university-level system evolved into seven national universities before 1945, all equal in… [Read more]

University Education

The average Japanese student entering university will have just completed ‘examination hell’. University entrance exams are rigorous and demand years, not weeks or months, of hard study. Many students fail their exams the first time and choose to spend a year or more studying at private cramming schools in hope of passing the exams next… [Read more]

Crisis of 1959-60
This major political crisis centered on the government’s attempt to amend Japan’s security treaty with the United States to make Japan a clearly equal partner with the US. Left-wing opposition parties claimed the treaty would drag Japan into a war between the US and the communist nations. Opposition strengthened when the USSR shot down a US U-2 spy plane in early 1960, leading to increased tension between the US and the USSR. Demonstrations throughout Japan forced cancellation of a planned visit by US President Dwight D. Eisenhower, but the ruling Liberal-Democratic Party still pushed the treaty through the Diet. Later, the prime minister resigned. His successor shifted the emphasis in Japanese politics away from national security to economic development.

Kyoto Development Issues

Landslides

Omote-ura - Public and Private Faces

The Ashita Honjin

The Shinkansen

Namiki

Pilgrimage

Castle Towns

The University of Tokyo

University Education

Tokugawa Political System

The Graying of Japan

The five highways of the Edo Period

Sake

Bansho - Old Highway Guard Stations

University Education

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