Centuries ago in Akamagaseki on Honshu’s southern shore, lived a blind biwa (lute) player named Hoichi at Amidaji Temple. A skilled musician, it was said his musical rendition of the tragic tale of the Battle of Dan-no-ura could move even…
Nanja Koriya?! Meiji Tokyo Renka (2019 Anime) Review
Thanks to COVID 19 I’ve been perusing the archives and came across this unpublished anime review from last year when I saw one of the oddest things I’ve seen since, well, the last odd thing I saw. Also, it was…
Woodpecker Detective’s Office Review and Real History
One of the lower profile shows to come out this season was Woodpecker Detective’s Office, a murder mystery series that uses real life literary figures as consulting detectives in late Meiji-era (1868-1912) Tokyo. If it sounds like Sherlock Holmes, that’s…
Lit Up on Electric Brandy in Asakusa
(This article was written based on a visit to the bar in early January 2020 and concludes our Meiji and Taisho-era drinking trilogy. Please read responsibly.) One of my favorite Japanese drinks is neither a beer, nor traditional sake or…
Meiji and Taisho-era Beer Drinking Today!
There are many ways to tangibly learn about the past. We can visit restored or preserved old buildings kept as they would have been a century ago, ride steam locomotives pulling vintage cars or participate in reenactments where everyone involved…
Mojiko II: The National and International Port
This is the second and final part of a series on Mojiko, Kitakyushu. Mojiko’s waterside is a quiet place with a park like atmosphere most notable for its unobstructed view of Shimonoseki across the Kanmon Strait and being a place…
Mojiko I: Taisho Roman Town
In the early 20th century Yokohama and Kobe were Japan’s first and second most important ports, places through which new foreign goods flowed and passengers embarked vessels to go abroad and discover new ideas and those coming to bring them…
Okinawa’s Hospital Caves: Where the Island’s Daughters Went to War
Though it can be read as a standalone article, this is the fourth in a series on the Himeyuri Student Corps and follows their story from Haebaru and Itokazu to the southern caves in Itoman and also looks at caves…
Abuchiragama: Natural Cave Turned Wartime Hospital
Though it can be read as a standalone article, this is the third in a series on the Himeyuri Student Corps covering one of the caves used to support the Haebaru Okinawa Army Hospital. On the surface the only tell-tale…
Haebaru’s Hellish Hospital Tunnels: Haebaru Okinawa Army Hospital Tunnel No. 20
Though it can be read as a standalone article, this is the second in a series on the Himeyuri Student Corps where we follow their story to the place they first went to war, the Haebaru Okinawa Army Hospital. A…