More glimpses of unfamiliar Japan

  As the suffix "in" shows, this was not originally a full temple, rather a hermitage. The main building seems to be primarily the...

  The Kuma River, or as it is commonly referred to in English, the Kumagawa River, that runs through  Hitoyoshi is classed as one of the thr...

  Shimekazari are traditional New Year decorations usually found attached to the front door of homes and businesses. At the heart of a shime...

  The Sagara Graveyard I visited in Hityoshi was located behind a small temple, Gangoji, and there was a little bit of autumn color around ...

  My first stop on the 41st day of my walk around Kyushu was at the Sagara Family Cemetery behind Gangoji Temple. 37 generations of the Saga...

Kitsuki Samurai District West of the small castle in Kitsuki, Oita, is a well preserved samurai district. that is registered as a Preseervat...

  The Seto Nakai, or Inland Sea, is dotted with islands and islets, and while many have now been connected by bridges to each other and the ...

  Honjin were a kind of lodgings used by daimyo, feudal lords, as they travelled around their domain. They were usyually the homes of wealth...

  I recently visited Yuushien Garden on Daikon Island for an evening illumination event as part of a 10,000 Dahlias festival. I arrived at s...

Takano Hachimangu On day 3 of my walk along the Iwami Kannon Pilgrimage I eft Isotake and carried on down the coast into Takuno where there ...