Winter gives us respite to turn inward and reflect
With snow in Kyoto the other day, thoughts turn to the beneficial role of winter in the annual round. Rainer Maria Rilke was a prolific letter writer, whose insights into life … Read the rest
Category: General (Page 1 of 25)
This is part of an ongoing series about travelling the length of Japan by train, and consists of passages with a Shinto or spiritual flavour. They are extracted from a longer book version due to be published by Stone Bridge … Read the rest
This is part of an ongoing series about travelling the length of Japan by train, and consists of passages with a Shinto or spiritual flavour. They are extracted from a … Read the rest
The small town of Shimabara has an unmanned station, yet the town boasts two major attractions. One is a castle, and the other a samurai district. In its heyday the district boasted 690 … Read the rest
The first time I visited Nagasaki, I remember standing on Glover Hill admiring the panorama. The view was exhilarating. Down below were cranes, wharfs and ocean-going ships. At the foot of the hill was a Catholic Church, and behind me … Read the rest
Hirado is a little gem. The small town of 31,000 has a port overlooked by a castle, and in the past had important continental connections. Tucked into Kyushu’s northwest corner, it is mostly neglected by tourists because of its remoteness.… Read the rest
This is part 22 of a series following a three-month journey the length of Japan, beginning in northern Hokkaido and finishing in the south of Kyushu. This extract from a forthcoming book concerns Fukuoka, which in the form of Hakata … Read the rest