I like travelling alone. That way, I've only got one idiot to worry about.
Although the long ride from Tōkyō to Shimane Prefecture on one of Japan’s last sleeper trains was almost an attraction in itself, that epic journey was but a means to an end. The end, of course, being the small but incredibly historic city of Izumo, which hosts one of the country’s oldest and most important shrines.
Continue reading “Field Report: Myth and history at Izumo, Japan (06 July 2015)”
In the summer of 2015, I set off on the longest continuous land journey I’d ever undertaken in my life, travelling west across nearly a thousand kilometres of track from Tōkyō to Shimane Prefecture. Rather than contend with a long daytime train ride and the inevitable transfers, I decided to sleep away the journey – literally – by booking a room on a very mobile hotel.
Welcome aboard the Sunrise Izumo.
We will never know the full truth behind what drove Asano Naganori to unsheathe his sword within the confines of Edo Castle in 1701, and in so doing trigger the famous raid of the 47 Rōnin nearly two years later. We do know where this long and bloody tale ended: the serene precincts of Sengaku-ji in Tōkyō, where even today one might find the graves of the more than forty men whose act of revenge secured for them an enduring place in history.
Diego travels to a major transportation museum just north of Tōkyō, where the exhibits are bound to leave train enthusiasts feeling as giddy as kids in a toy store.
Continue reading “Field Report: A day at the JR East Railway Museum, Saitama, Japan (04 July 2015)”
When I awoke one balmy July morning last year to find Tōkyō in the midst of a heavy shower, I settled upon a simple solution to salvage the day: flee hundreds of miles north to the sunnier, drier environs of Iwate Prefecture. There, I would soak up not summer rain but the glorious memories of a city that, in its heyday, might have rivalled even Imperial Kyōto in its wealth and its pursuit of cultural refinement.
On a wet July day in Tōkyō (just a sliver over a year ago now), I decided to escape the dreadful weather by travelling hundreds of miles north to the drier landscapes of Iwate Prefecture … but we’ll save the sightseeing part for a different post. Right now, let’s talk about something else: the trains that I rode or saw along the way.
Walk into one of Kanazawa’s beautifully preserved Edo-period teahouses in the present day, and you’re likely to emerge gently invigorated after sipping a soothing bowl of freshly whisked matcha and gazing serenely at an immaculately maintained courtyard garden. But walk into the very same place two centuries ago, and you’ll probably stumble out tipsy from downing endless pourings of sake and enjoying the refined company of richly attired geisha.
The last time I set my feet upon the winding paths of Kenrokuen, it was – if memory serves – a dreary, dim, cloudy day, with barely enough sunlight to see by and cold droplets of rain pelting my head at odd intervals.
It was also – if memory serves – a uniquely peaceful and invigorating experience, wandering across the rambling expanse of one of the finest traditional gardens in Japan.
That was six years ago, more or less. I’m glad to see that some things haven’t changed since then.
Continue reading “Field Report: A quiet garden stroll in Kenrokuen, Kanazawa, Japan (01 July 2015)”
From the late 16th century up to the end of the Edo Period, the Lords of Kaga Domain presided over one of Japan’s wealthiest fiefdoms from within the secure precincts of Kanazawa Castle (金沢城, Kanazawa-jō). Although most of its wooden buildings and watchtowers were either destroyed by fire (particularly during a massive conflagration in 1881) or deliberately dismantled over the centuries, parts of the castle have been recently reconstructed – and the results are quite impressive indeed.
Continue reading “Field Report: Kanazawa Castle, Japan (01 July 2015)”
The city of Kanazawa is richly endowed with historic sites that hearken back to its glory days as the capital of the former Kaga Domain, one of the wealthiest fiefdoms in Edo-period Japan.
It is also richly endowed with something entirely different: rain. Lots and lots of rain.
Continue reading “Field Report: Summer rain and ninja secrets in Kanazawa, Japan (01 July 2015)”
Within striking distance