Weird Fish

Christmas Break in Shimoda

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January 30th 2006
During the Christmas break, I went to a small city about 4 hours south of Tokyo, called Shimoda. It's right on the water, and surrounded by mountains. Shimoda is famous for being the port where US Navy Commodore Matthew Perry docked in 1854, to commence negotations that led to the Treaty of Kanagawa, which opened trade between Japan and the US. I think. There's not a whole lot in Shimoda. Th ... read more

Asia » Japan

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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