I find it fun, when visiting a large city, to learn as much as possible about what drives it and what makes it tick. For a city such as Tokyo, an economic powerhouse (even after 3 decades of a relatively stagnant economy), one place to learn more is the Tokyo Stock Exchange, the heart of … Continue reading The Tokyo Stock Exchange: investment as sightseeing
This article introduces sites related to Oya stone, a pumice stone quarried near Utsunomiya in Tochigi Prefecture. The stone and the sites are fascinating; its an easy place to visit as a day trip from Tokyo, or as a stopover on the way to Nikko. (Archived article originally published by Japan Today.)
A few months ago I visited the Niigata town of Tokamachi with the intention of attending a local festival. Alas, the festival was rained out and it seemed there wasn't much to do after checking out the intriguing sculptures on the high street. Fortunately, I found that Tokamachi has a wonderful city museum that proved … Continue reading Tokamachi City Museum – great on a rainy day, or when the sun shines
Jomon is the name given to Japan's prehistoric "stone age" period, thought to be from 30,000 to 2,500 years ago. The name means "rope marks" and derives from the markings on the pottery of the period. During this period the people of the archipelago went from simple hunter-gatherers to being users of tools, the beginnings … Continue reading Obsidian arrowheads and other Jomon archaeology
On September 13, 1912, shortly after the funeral cortege of the Emperor Meiji (1852-1912) left the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, General Maresuke Nogi (1849-1912) and his wife, Shizuko (1856-1912), committed ritual seppuku in the general's room of their house in Tokyo's Akasaka district, not far from the headquarters of the Japanese Imperial Army. Although it … Continue reading General Nogi’s house – symbol of the end of an era
Before industrialization, Japan was largely dependent on its rice production for survival. And the farming villages in Japan's many mountain valleys were at the center of it all. The Hida Folk Village (in Japanese Hida no Sato) on the outskirts of the Gifu town of Takayama is a wonderful place to spend a couple of … Continue reading Hida Folk Village: exploring traditional rural life
Jigsaw Japan 