Garden

The First Weekend

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June 4th 2007
Konnichiwa! It's been a long but wonderful few days...it seems that I escaped the evil clutches of jet lag altogether, and aside from adjusting to the sun rising at 4am and setting at 7pm, the transition was smooth. I arrived at Kansai International Airport in Osaka on Friday evening, and from there took the Japan Rail (JR) to Hikone. The train ride was about 2 hours, and at that point I was ... read more

Asia » Japan » Shiga » Hikone

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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