A ninja climbs the walls

Ninja!

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September 29th 2013
Saturday was a late start because the sword shop didn’t open until 10. I headed down there at about 10:30 and realised that I had walked right past it last Monday! To be fair though, it was right across the road from Nijo castle which had my attention at the time. The shop was very small, but when I arrived there was nobody else looking at the swords. The lady had very little English but we mana ... read more

Asia » Japan » Mie » Iga-Ueno

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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