Hiraizumi – Within striking distance

Field Report: Facing the ghosts of warriors past at Hiraizumi, Japan (03 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 ofContinue reading “Field Report: Facing the ghosts of warriors past at Hiraizumi, Japan (03 July 2015)”

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 trainsContinue reading “Rail Report: A touch of trainspotting in Tōkyō, Hiraizumi, and Ichinoseki, Japan (03 July 2015)”