Rows of beautiful lanterns

Lanterns, Onsens and Yukatas

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August 24th 2007
Just a quick update on some of my recent whereabouts... There are festivals galore throughout August in Japan and while I did not make it to any of the big, famous festivals this year, I found a small one in Shizuoka, about a 25 minute bike ride from my apartment last Wednesday. It was held at a shrine that Dawn and I found about a month or so ago on some random exploration of Shizuoka. The ... read more

Asia » Japan » Shizuoka

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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