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’ Steampunk Steam Car
This mini article was first published May 21, 2020 on Wayfarer Daves Facebook. These will not be replacing regular full-length articles but may supplement from time to time on off weeks. Dave and I have been pretty busy during this…
A Soldier of Kumamoto Castle: Tanimura Keisuke
If you ever visit Kumamoto Castle you’ll notice this statue inside without much explanation. The soldier’s name is Tanimura Keisuke and he served at the castle when it was besieged by Saigo Takamori’s rebels during the Satsuma Rebellion / Seinan…
Shin Sakura Wars’ Haikara-san ga Tooru! Homage
This mini article was first published Dec. 27, 2020 on Wayfarer Daves Facebook. These will not be replacing regular full-length articles but may supplement from time to time on off weeks. Very few fictional stories or franchises are set in…
Sekigahara: New Museum Tells Story of Japan’s Most Important Battle
On the foggy morning of Oct. 21, 1600 the 160,000 strong samurai armies of eastern and western Japan clashed for six hours at Sekigahara in the single most important battle in Japanese history. The battle was the beginning of the…
Filming Locations of Haikara-san ga Tooru! (1987) Then and Now: Kyoto’s Chourakukan
This mini article was first published Sept. 19, 2020 on Wayfarer Daves Facebook. These will not be replacing regular full-length articles but may supplement from time to time on off weeks. I was watching the 1987 Haikara-san ga Tooru (“Here…
Filming Locations of Sukeban Deka II (1985) Then and Now: Yokohama
This mini article was first published Sept. 6, 2020 on Wayfarer Daves Facebook. These will not be replacing regular full-length articles but may supplement from time to time on off weeks. In 1985 the television series Sukeban Deka II had…
Wayfarer Daves 2020 Year in Review
It’s hard to believe, but this December marks five years since Wayfarer Daves began posting on that date which will live in infamy, Dec. 7, 2015. Our first post was actually a story I’d written that had been published in…
Take a Virtual Tour of Old Tokyo!
Since the late unpleasantness has created barriers to travel for service members, virtual travel and tours of dream destinations have become increasingly popular. Using the internet we can watch videos and live vicariously thanks to those living where we want…
Riding in Meiji-style: The Imperial Carriages of Emperor Meiji
When the first train line opened between Tokyo and Yokohama on Oct. 14, 1872, one of the first passengers on the inaugural ride was Emperor Meiji (1852-1912). While it may have been one of his first train rides*, it was…