Of the more than one hundred Edo-period castle keeps, only about 40 survived the Meiji Restoration. In the years after 1868, many of these were pulled down by the fledgling Meiji government or dismantled by local patriots as undesirable relics of feudalism. Because of World War II and other disasters, only twelve genuine castle keeps survive. If you have time to visit just one castle, there’s no debate that it should be Himeji.
Perhaps it’s this dish’s steamy pungency of fish and daikon radish, or the octopus tentacles poking out of the oden broth, or the fact that many of the ingredients cannot be translated into appetizing word bites. Whatever the reason, this humble, inexpensive comfort food loved across the length and breadth of Nippon is almost unknown beyond the nation’s borders. Read on to master the mysteries of Oden.
In Japan, the turning of the year is marked by rites of purification (something of an obsession in Shinto practice). In many communities, people—men in particular—may plunge into icy waters or ignite bonfires to purify their spirits. In Kyoto, Shijo-dori, the broad avenue cutting across the heart of the city, fills on the night of December 31st with hundreds of thousands of people who surge eastward toward “Gion-san” or Yasaka Jinja, the guardian shrine of the ancient capital…
Who hasn’t felt the pull to step into the world depicted in the woodblock prints of Hiroshige, their charming portrayals of pre-western life with its tidy, exquisitely crafted homes, the bustle of quotidian life—travel, commerce, and amusements—amid majestic, timeless nature. Amazingly, this world still survives in Japan, often just a short train ride from the modern bustle of the cities.
When the oppressive heat of August bears down, nothing revives a flagging appetite like a serving of chilled noodles, mounded in enticing swirls upon a bamboo mat and adorned with a bright green leaf that appears to have fluttered down upon a breeze from a canopy of Japanese maples…
One of our favorite festivals in Japan, Sōma Nomaoi (Sōma Wild Horse Chase), was dealt a horrific blow in 2011 when a tsunami and the Fukushima nuclear accident devastated the northern Japanese coastline where the event has been observed yearly for over a millennium. This region of picturesque rural towns and fishing villages located south of the city of Sendai was already struggling as young people left to pursue opportunities elsewhere. But rather than collapse under the weight of the twin disasters, the local community is fighting back, and nowhere is this more evident than in its signature matsuri (festival).
In history books, Yoritomo ranks among Japan's towering political figures. But in literature and drama, it is Yoshitsune who achieves immortality. No other figure appears in as many legends, ballads, poems and scenarios as he does. The Yoshitsune of legend is a rather exotic hero. In appearance he is a refined aristocrat, with white skin, blackened teeth and a delicate physique. He plays the flute. He is also a consummate military genius. Read on…
Ceramics is the most vigorous of Japanese crafts. It has the greatest number of artisans—probably more per capita than in any other country—and a steady, discerning clientele among the average Japanese. This is due both to the tea ceremony, with its connoisseur's appreciation of folk-style pottery, and the artistry demanded by Japanese cuisine.
Shinto, the ancient, indigenous religion of Japan, is all about appeasing the spirits and gods to ensure prosperity and avoid harm, and the tens of thousands of shrines that dot the countryside are veritable monuments to anxiety and guilt. Some of these potentially dangerous spirits include the souls of humans who were treated shabbily during their earthly lives. A great example is "Tenjin-san," the spiritual incarnation of Sugawara no Michizane, a ninth-century egghead who got on the wrong side of the powerful Fujiwara family in Heian (the capital city now known as Kyoto).
For Japanese bathing enthusiasts, the search for the ultimate bath is something in the nature of a religious quest. That yu, hot water, is held to have divine powers is best demonstrated by remote shrines, such as Yudono-san (Bathtub Mountain), where a hot spring is regarded as the god incarnate (Dewa Sanzan, Tōhoku: West from Sendai).
