odawara 001

Odawara Plum Blossom Festival

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March 7th 2013
It's plum blossom time! After one of my coworkers posted some really great pictures on Facebook from Umegaoka and told me they were in bloom, I decided to look up some places to go see them on my days off. I stumbled upon the Odawara plum blossom festival, and found that it had been extended through Wednesday - my day off! It seemed like fate, so I decided to head out on my own on Wednesday ... read more

Asia » Japan » Kanagawa » Odawara

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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