Shinkansen on the way to Kitakami

Departure day

---

May 6th 2012
It's 9:31 am in the morning on Sunday, May 6th in Japan-time and 5:30 PM on Saturday Pacific Standard Time (happy early birthday, Mom). I'm all packed except for the laptop. Anna is taking a quick shower and then I'm off to Kitakami station to get on the shinkansen. We didn't move fast enough this week to get reserved tickets, so I will be jumping on one of the three cars th ... read more

Asia » Japan » Iwate » Kitakami

---

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