Field Report: From Manila, Philippines to Kyōto, Japan (27 June 2015)

27Jun15 001 Japan Honshu JR West Kyoto Station

If there’s one thing that’s certain about my relationship with Japan, it’s this: you can’t keep me away for very long.

Thus begins the tale of my eighth journey to the Land Whence the Sun Rises, stretching from late June to mid-July 2015.

(By the way, I hope you’ll pardon the slightly refashioned rendering of the classic epithet for Japan – the common form has become so heavily overused that the mere thought of it is sufficient to send me retching. And believe me, you don’t want to see me retching.)

Continue reading “Field Report: From Manila, Philippines to Kyōto, Japan (27 June 2015)”

Field Report: Cherry blossoms and castle ruins in Fukuoka, Japan (28 March 2015)

28Mar15 013 Japan Kyushu Fukuoka Castle Maizuru Ohori Park Sakura Cherry Blossom

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.

Continue reading “Field Report: Cherry blossoms and castle ruins in Fukuoka, Japan (28 March 2015)”

Field Report: Old buildings and new blossoms in Fukuoka, Japan (28 March 2015)

28Mar15 004 Japan Kyushu Fukuoka Shofukuji Temple

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 in the ancient imperial streets of Kyōto or the time-hallowed precincts of Nara, but right in the bustling downtown of Fukuoka.

Continue reading “Field Report: Old buildings and new blossoms in Fukuoka, Japan (28 March 2015)”

Field Report: Kokura Castle, Kitakyūshū, Japan (27 March 2015)

27Mar15 004 Japan Kyushu Kitakyushu Kokura Castle

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 Kumamoto, I seized upon the chance to add another one to my “been there” list.

Continue reading “Field Report: Kokura Castle, Kitakyūshū, Japan (27 March 2015)”

Field Report: Kyū Hosokawa Gyōbu-tei, Kumamoto, Japan (27 March 2015)

27Mar15 004 Japan Kyushu Kumamoto Kyu Hosokawa Gyobutei

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 reforms of the ascendant Meiji government deprived them of both power and property, it became necessary to trade their old home for humbler accommodations.

Humbler, perhaps, but far from spartan … and certainly not lacking in the noble elegance that befits their station.

Continue reading “Field Report: Kyū Hosokawa Gyōbu-tei, Kumamoto, Japan (27 March 2015)”

Field Report: Kumamoto Castle, Japan (27 March 2015)

27Mar15 028 Japan Kyushu Kumamoto Castle

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 refined taste. However, where visual manifestations of a Japanese warlord’s wealth and power are concerned, one would be hard pressed to find anything more capable of inspiring reverence amongst comrades – or sowing fear amongst rivals – than a castle built to monumental proportions.

Continue reading “Field Report: Kumamoto Castle, Japan (27 March 2015)”

Field Report: Suizen-ji Jōju-en, Kumamoto, Japan (27 March 2015)

27Mar15 025 Japan Kyushu Kumamoto Suizenji Jojuen Garden

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 neighbouring daimyō – short of setting fire to his castle and enslaving his entire household (which would have been just a tad uncouth) – was to build a better garden.

In that respect, the Hosokawa Lords of Kumamoto did very well indeed, setting up a splendid greensward in their capital that contained one serious piece of landscaping bling: Mount Fuji. (Or a reasonable facsimile thereof.)

Continue reading “Field Report: Suizen-ji Jōju-en, Kumamoto, Japan (27 March 2015)”

Field Report: Night View of Nagasaki from Mount Inasa, Japan (26 March 2015)

26Mar15 005 Japan Kyushu Nagasaki Mount Inasa Night View Observation Deck

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 whole set-of-threes mania), the Three Famous Gardens, the Three Famous Castles … you name it, there’s probably a list somewhere for it.

And amongst those lists is the Three Great Night Views of Japan (日本三大夜景, Nihon San Dai-Yakei), one of which can be seen right here in Nagasaki.

Continue reading “Field Report: Night View of Nagasaki from Mount Inasa, Japan (26 March 2015)”

Field Report: Gunkanjima, Nagasaki, Japan (26 March 2015)

26Mar15 023 Japan Kyushu Nagasaki Hashima Gunkanjima Battleship Island

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 fuel their fevered post-apocalyptic fantasies, a brief visit to an abandoned island off the coast of Kyūshū might help them paint a more vivid picture of utter desolation than any book, documentary, or half-witted zombie flick could conjure up.

Continue reading “Field Report: Gunkanjima, Nagasaki, Japan (26 March 2015)”