Ginkaku

Castles, Temples and Nova Oh my!

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October 22nd 2007
The past week and a half or so in Kyoto has been very eventful. I started off by visiting Himeji Castle which is about a 2 hour train ride away from Yamashina. We ended up getting off the train two stations too early and at that point we were out in the boonies so it was forty minutes until the next train arrived! But Himeji was well worth a visit and as the lonely planet says, if you are going to ... read more

Asia » Japan » Kyoto » Kyoto

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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