A short hop on the San’yō Shinkansen brought me to Fukuyama, near the border between Hiroshima Prefecture and Okayama Prefecture. Although this place doesn’t figure very highly in Chūgoku itineraries – save perhaps for the lovely old port of Tomonoura in its southern reaches – history enthusiasts will no doubt share my interest in theContinue reading “Field Report: Fukuyama, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan (18 November 2016)”
Tag Archives: Castles
Field Report: Iwakuni, Japan (16 November 2016)
Many old Japanese towns are famous for their castles, but the city of Iwakuni in Yamaguchi Prefecture is best known for something else: namely, its unique and splendidly beautiful wooden bridge. (The fact that it’s got a castle of its own is an added bonus, of course.)
Field Report: Hagi, Japan (15 November 2016)
Japan’s Chūgoku region is an incredibly rewarding destination, and I’ve resolved to explore it more thoroughly in the years to come. But for this particular trip, I was happy to allow myself only a brief taste of the area’s many attractions – laying the groundwork, as it were, for a longer and more comprehensive futureContinue reading “Field Report: Hagi, Japan (15 November 2016)”
Field Report: Fukuchiyama Castle, Kyōto Prefecture, Japan (13 November 2016)
My love of Japanese castles takes me to the city of Fukuchiyama northwest of Kyōto, where an ancient fortress demolished during the Meiji Restoration now again stands proudly over the lands it once controlled.
Field Report: Kawagoe, Japan (01 October 2016)
With Japan a mere four hours or so from Manila, and with the intense competition amongst airlines plying this lucrative route driving fares down to almost dirt-cheap levels, an overnight weekend trip to Tōkyō no longer sounds as crazy as it probably should. Believe me, I’d know – I did precisely that on the weekendContinue reading “Field Report: Kawagoe, Japan (01 October 2016)”
Field Report: Takamatsu Castle, Japan (10 July 2015)
Sometimes, it takes a bit of work to seek out the historic gems scattered across your typical Japanese metropolis, hidden as they are behind decades of unrestrained development and bland concrete modernity. But here in Takamatsu, a short stroll from the central railway station is all a visitor needs to discover one of the city’sContinue reading “Field Report: Takamatsu Castle, Japan (10 July 2015)”
Field Report: A kingdom of sand by the seaside at Tottori, Japan (08 July 2015)
Sand, in and of itself, seems to possess very little significance. But when gathered into massive dunes as tall as hills, or fashioned into huge and incredibly complex works of art, even these humble grains are enough to draw a chap like me all the way to a small city in western Japan – oneContinue reading “Field Report: A kingdom of sand by the seaside at Tottori, Japan (08 July 2015)”
Field Report: Kanazawa Castle, 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)Continue reading “Field Report: Kanazawa Castle, Japan (01 July 2015)”
Field Snapshot: The Honmaru Palace of Nagoya Castle, Japan (06 June 2016)
Since last weekend’s brief visit to Nagoya won’t get blogged about for a good long while, I’d like to offer an abbreviated report covering the main target of that short excursion: the newly opened Taimenjo wing of Nagoya Castle’s opulent Honmaru Palace.
Field Report: Maruoka Castle and Kitanoshō Castle, Fukui, Japan (30 June 2015)
Diego visits two castles in the space of a single afternoon: one whose main tower still stands high above the ground, and one brought so low that not even its very foundations have survived intact.
Within striking distance 