When I was young, about an hour from my home was a folk museum and living history site called Norskedalen. This old site, nestled in the back of a valley in the middle of nowhere, but it…
Byodoin: The Power of the Fujiwara Clan
On the way from Kyoto to Nara, about half way between the two cities, lies Uji. Uji is a modern city, founded in the 1950s, however the area has been a popular site for noble estates since one of…
Storytelling at Lake Bracciano: The Italian Air Force Museum
There are many fine military aviation museums in the world but living in Italy means I don’t need to fly far to find one. The Museo Storico dell’Aeronautica Militare Italiana, Italian Air Force Museum, located on Lake Bracciano has an…
Uniquely Kyushu: Shimabara
Japan is a country that loves its castles. Despite decommissioning and dismantling almost all of them in the late 19th century, they have been on the comeback as more than a hundred ‘rebuilt’ castles have joined the surviving dozen originals.…
Nara: Ancient Japan at its Finest
When people think of ancient Japan, many first think of the former capital city, Kyoto. Even many of the Japanese I meet, when I mention that I enjoy visiting historic places, one of the first questions I’m asked…
Two Warbirds in One Little Museum
The first flying Zero to call Japan home in 70 years has come to Kanoya, in the far south of Kyushu. Flying or not, Japanese warbirds are a rare breed. They were never produced in the same numbers as…
Bargello: A Medieval Frame for Renaissance Art
Painted, sculpted, constructed, there is an overabundance of impressive art, art that is part and parcel to the history and existence of the town. The Uffizi and it’s never ending halls, the Duomo, Palazzo Vecchio and the Galleria del’Accademia, which…
Hamamatsu Castle: A Missed Opportunity
In my last post, I wrote about the charming castle they rebuilt in Kakegawa. As it turns out, the next city down the line towards Nagoya, Hamamatsu, also has a rebuilt castle. Hamamatsu castle, however, is on the opposite…
Take Flight Into the Past
Kanoya, in the far south of Japan’s southernmost main island, is a rather inconvenient location for an air museum. It’s more than 500 miles from Tokyo and getting there via public transport requires taking a Shinkansen bullet train to the…
Kakegawa – A Charming Castle Town
If you take the Shinkansen toward Nagoya, somewhere in Shizuoka you will pass through a small city called Kakegawa. For most people, the Japanese included, it is just a minor stop on the way to bigger and better things.…