Ko Koen gardens

Bye bye Kyoto ... hello Himeji

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April 12th 2007
Day 13 ... After an early start we left Kyoto headed to Matsue and planned to visit Himeji on the way which　has a massive castle (among other things). We were on a mission as we had a lot fit in. We started our whistle stop tour with a trip to some really nice (reconstructed) Samurai gardens and meeting hall at Koko-en next to the castle which was well worth the visit with a number of differen ... read more

Asia » Japan » Hyogo » Himeji

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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