The Hidden Third Floor

Hey, Jō!

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July 11th 2014
To the average Westerner such as myself, the Japanese language can seem quite daunting. The whole time I was in Japan I thought that 'jō' meant castle as in Matsumoto-jō is Matsumoto Castle. Not exactly, at least according to the ultimate source for all translations... Google. But if I told people I was going to Matsumoto-jō they understood. I think 'shiro' might be the actual word for castle. ... read more

Asia » Japan » Nagano » Matsumoto

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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