Mizusawa 9 fountain in the park

Mizusawa

---

May 11th 2010
Having waved goodbye to LA (but not without sampling the famous cupcakes at Sprinkles, Rodeo Drive, being caught on camera and going to my first Bollywood party); endured the flight to Tokyo, and the train journey to Mizusawa-Esashi station in the middle of nowhere (or so it seemed to me), I made it through my first day in Japan. I'm in Mizusawa, a town so small it doesn't even register on the ... read more

Asia » Japan » Iwate »  Mizusawa

---

In 1603, a Tokugawa shogunate (military dictatorship) ushered in a long period of isolation from foreign influence in order to secure its power. For 250 years this policy enabled Japan to enjoy stability and a flowering of its indigenous culture. Fol... ... read more