The Romantic Train

Machiya Fun

---

June 12th 2010
Recently I had the opportunity to stay at a Machiya house in Kyoto. Machiya are traditional wooden townhouses that were super popular in Japan during the 1800s. There aren't many of them left but this company we stayed with has been buying them up around the city and restoring them so people can stay in them for a night or two. We went as a group of 11 and ended up staying in a really nice place c ... read more

Asia » Japan » Kyoto » Kyoto

---

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