Every spring, the ruined enceintes of Fukuoka Castle take on a special blush of beauty, with the bare branches of its flowering cherry trees stirring magnificently into life.
It might come as a surprise to many of us – as it certainly did to me – that the very first Zen temple founded in Japan isn’t located somewhere […]
It’s a fact that needs no repeating, but I’ll repeat it anyway: I love Japanese castles. And with a tiny sliver of sunlight still left after my day trip to […]
Close relatives of the Lords of Kumamoto once lived within a stone’s throw of the enormous castle that loomed over the heart of this southern domain. But when the sweeping […]
Traditional stroll gardens, such as the splendid specimen we visited in the previous post, are all well and good for reinforcing your typical Edo-period daimyō‘s reputation as a man of […]
Show-offery was serious business amongst the ruling class of Edo-period Japan. Since this was an age long before sports cars or private jets, one culturally refined way to outdo the […]
The Japanese are fond of making lists, and tourist attractions aren’t exempt from categorisation. Think of the near-legendary Three Views (which dates from the 17th century and probably started the […]
Many of us have probably wondered what our modern-day cities might look like a few decades after being surrendered to the ravages of nature. For those seeking real-life inspiration to […]
After arriving in the historic port city of Nagasaki from my previous base at Saga, I booked a place on a special half-day island excursion (which will be the subject […]
Saga Prefecture doesn’t usually rank first in tourist itineraries (except for those chasing traditional Japanese porcelain), but rich cultural and historic rewards await those willing to invest a brief stop […]
Within striking distance 