Visiting the A-Bomb Memorials in Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Seeing the stark record of the atomic bomb destruction in Hiroshima and Nagasaki makes us reflect yet again on the horror of war.
Japan Saves the Day: Helpful People Rescue Klutz Yet Again
Is it that the people of Japan are so helpful, or that I'm in such need of help? Probably both. Today I had a third encounter, not with the pavement*,…
Sakurajima Volcano, Kagoshima, Japan
We took sort of an unplanned side trip to Kagoshima, at the very end of the southern Japanese island of Kyushu, just to see one of the most active volcanoes…
Itsukushima Shrine, near Hiroshima, Japan
The Itsukushima shrine, a torii arch set into the sea near Hiroshima, and its attendant Noh theater stage, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Zenkoji Temple, Nagano, Japan
Zenkoji Temple in Nagano offers a variety of religious images best taken in context.
Matsumoto Castle, Matsumoto, Japan
We toured the castle at Matsumoto, which is entirely made out of wood, btw, while we waited for the light to swing around and hit the “good” side of the…
The Temples of Nikko, Japan
The temples of Nikko, Japan are some of the most ornate in Japan. The Nikko shrines were built by the Tokugawa Shoguns in the17th to 19th Centuries.
Getting Lost in Tokyo
We had a notion that Japan was going to be a bit, shall we say, inscrutable. And we were right. There’s something about not having an alphabet so foreigners can…
Roadside Shinto Shrine, Nikko, Japan
This Shinto shrine was tucked into a hillside right next to the highway. Nikko is the home to some of the most distinctive Shinto shrines in Japan.