Tag Archives: Honshu

Rail-Bus Report: From Tōkyō to Kusatsu Onsen and back with a Japan Rail Pass

There’s more than one way to travel between Tōkyō and the famous hot spring town of Kusatsu Onsen. Moreover, it’s possible to do the entire journey for free with a Japan Rail Pass. In this report, we’ll try two different routes that rail pass holders can use at no extra cost.

Field Report: Sunpu Castle, Shizuoka, Japan (01 October 2017)

Think about the sort of house you’d like to live in after retirement. Will it be a beach-side bungalow, or perhaps a small cottage out in the country? Whatever form your post-employment residential dream might take, it’s not likely to be on quite the same scale as the sprawling fortress that Tokugawa Ieyasu moved intoContinue reading “Field Report: Sunpu Castle, Shizuoka, Japan (01 October 2017)”

Field Snapshot: Yet Another Peek at the Honmaru Palace of Nagoya Castle, Japan (24 November 2016)

I’d been to Nagoya Castle a couple of times already, but there was something in particular that I was itching to come back for. And in any event, I’d gladly jump on any excuse to visit one of my favourite castles in Japan.

Field Report: Okayama Castle and Kōraku-en, Japan (20 November 2016)

I’m no stranger to Okayama, or its castle, or its magnificent garden. And there’s certainly a lot that one can say about all three … but as I’m itching to write about the Shikoku stage of this Japan adventure, let’s just pore over a few snapshots and be done with it.

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: Nagoya, Japan (13 February 2014) – Part 2/2

There’s more to Nagoya than its famous castle – and more than I can hope to see in just one day. No worries, we’ll hit a couple of other sights before the sun goes down. On today’s agenda: the castle lord’s private possessions, his former backyard garden, and wondrous mechanical conveyances that not even allContinue reading “Field Report: Nagoya, Japan (13 February 2014) – Part 2/2”