Tag - japan-travel

 
 

JAPAN TRAVEL

Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Sep 7, 2013
Tracing the path of history in northern Nagasaki
The horn blast from the incoming ferry echoes clearly through the top-floor hall of Hirado Castle. From the donjon's vantage point, my husband and I can clearly see the large passenger ship as it enters the sheltered bay of Hirado's port, marking the end of its route between this small city on Nagasaki Prefecture's northwestern coast and the nearby island of Oshima. The ship may be different but it's not hard to imagine the Matsuura lords, former rulers of Hirado, with spyglasses pressed eagerly to their eyes as they watched the arrival of a European trading ship.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Jun 23, 2013
Temples, dragon boats and fireworks in Chinese Nagasaki
There was a time when the journey from East China to Nagasaki was a long and treacherous one across an unpredictable sea. Once a ship entered the verdant hill-sheltered bay that led to the city, the passengers thanked the gods for their safe arrival. After anchoring in the harbor, a procession accompanied by drums and gongs would make its way through the town carrying the ship's most important passenger: an image of Mazu, the Chinese goddess of the sea (known in Japan as Maso), without whom a safe voyage would have been impossible.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Mar 17, 2013
Toddler-toting invaders no match for this castle's defenses
Most visitors are awed by Kumamoto Castle's imposing walls; myself, I am more preoccupied with the stairs. According to the map board just inside the Hazekata Gate, there are many of them, tracing a convoluted path up to the raven-black donjon.

Longform

When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.
Climbing the branches of a Japanese family tree