Saigo Takamori was a samurai who helped bring about the modern Japanese state in 1868 with the Meiji Restoration. He led its government for a time but retired after falling out over what he perceived as corrupt politics. A few…
Okinoerabujima: One of Japan’s Hidden Tropical Getaways
(This is a version of the story originally published in Stripes Japan’s Destination Paradise) As the interisland ferry approached Okinoerabujima, I still wasn’t sure if I’d made a mistake coming here. Before us was an island of high sea cliffs…
Historic Birthdays: Saigo Takamori (1828)
Saigo Takamori was born Jan. 23, 1828 in Kagoshima, Satsuma Domain. The son of a samurai tax clerk in the poorest samurai district of Kagoshima, I don’t imagine anyone that day would expect this boy to be one of the…
Sakura Wars’ Imperial Capital: The Tokyo That Was (and Wasn’t)
Updated Dec. 20, 2021: All Google Maps images removed and replaced with photos from my recent visit to Tokyo! We’re exploring the Imperial Capital (Teito) of Sakura Wars, a unique take on Tokyo’s past reinvented with a steam punk aesthetic…
Tabaruzaka: A Japanese Gettysburg
Atop a certain hilltop in Kumamoto Prefecture is a serene park, with lanes of cherry trees and azaleas on its terraced hillside. It has a commanding view of the quiet farming community in the river valley beneath it and the…