Himeji Castle

Pilgrims

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April 3rd 2011
The young girl pushing the coffee trolley was on the Shinkansen I was taking to Himeji, a city about 100 km west of Kyoto. I asked for my 300 yen coffee, and watched bewitched the ritual with all the smiles and bows as she delicately placed my coffee and little plastic pot of cream on the tray beside me. Young Japanese female staff have a very high pitched sing song voice for such rituals – in n ... 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