When it comes to Japan, my main areas of interest are castles and trains – and no visit is ever complete without me adding to my knowledge of one or the other (usually both). In this post, we turn the spotlight upon the country’s newest major railway museum: a veritable playground for train-obsessed chaps likeContinue reading “Field Report: Kyōto Railway Museum, Japan (12 November 2016)”
Tag Archives: Museums
Field Report: Kinosaki Onsen and Kyōto, Japan (09 July 2015)
Who on earth travels a great distance to see an onsen town and doesn’t even bother trying the onsen? (This is where I sheepishly raise my hand and attempt an explanation.)
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: Slurping, sipping, and stepping my way around Matsue, Japan (07 July 2015)
Matsue’s eponymous castle might be its most famous attraction, but a single leisurely afternoon spent in this historic corner of Shimane Prefecture allowed me to sample a few other treasures that I’d completely missed on my first visit here.
Field Report: The Gardens of the Adachi Museum of Art, Yasugi, Japan (07 July 2015)
Japan is replete with beautiful gardens, and it’s hard to imagine how any particular specimen – much less a relatively new arrival to the scene – could possibly stand above the many other horticultural masterpieces sprinkled across the country. Indeed, one might argue that no single Japanese garden can rightfully seize the crown of “undisputedContinue reading “Field Report: The Gardens of the Adachi Museum of Art, Yasugi, Japan (07 July 2015)”
Field Report: Myth and history at Izumo, Japan (06 July 2015)
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 importantContinue reading “Field Report: Myth and history at Izumo, Japan (06 July 2015)”
Field Report: A real teahouse and a surreal swimming pool in Kanazawa, Japan (02 July 2015)
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 fromContinue reading “Field Report: A real teahouse and a surreal swimming pool in Kanazawa, Japan (02 July 2015)”
Field Report: Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum, Katsuyama, Japan (30 June 2015)
Some places make one feel almost like a child again. Amusement parks, zoos, old-fashioned game arcades … and of course, one shouldn’t forget dinosaur museums.
Field Report: Dazaifu, Japan (24 March 2015) – Part 1 of 2
Fukuoka may be the nexus of power and prestige in modern-day Kyūshū, but over a millennium ago, that distinction belonged to another city located several miles to the southeast. Although reduced to a quiet suburb of the island’s sprawling present-day capital, one might say that Dazaifu merely traded one cloak for another: transforming from aContinue reading “Field Report: Dazaifu, Japan (24 March 2015) – Part 1 of 2”
Field Report: National Museum of Korea, Seoul, South Korea (27 September 2015)
I had a great time at Namsangol Hanok Village, but with the sun high in the sky and the air getting a wee bit too warm for comfort, I took refuge in one of Seoul’s largest indoor attractions … deliciously air-conditioned, of course. Oh, and did I mention that it’s free?
Within striking distance 