Shisa - Okinawan lion dog guardians

Okinawa Honto - first impressions

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April 13th 2014
Okinawa Honto (沖縄本島) is the main island in the 1000km long Ryukyu Islands stretching from southern Japan to Taipei. It is a tiny scrap of subtropical green in a huge vastness of ocean. It is small - one third the size of Kangaroo Island and one sixty-fifth the size of Tasmania, with a population of 1.4 million. The skyline is low jagged mountains floating above calm azure seas, punctuated ... read more

Asia » Japan » Okinawa » Okinawa Honto

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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