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Edo
1603 – 1868. Peace, sumo, kabuki and 250 years of the Tokugawa.
The Tokugawa System: How to Run a Country for 260 Years
Shogun, domains, a mandatory commute to Edo and a four-tier class system, the recipe for a long peace.
The 'Closed Country' That Wasn't Really Closed
Sakoku, the Shimabara Rebellion and the four windows through which Japan kept in touch with the world.
Edo Life: Fires, Sumo, Kabuki and the Birth of Fast Food
Life in the biggest city in the world: crowded alleys, famous fires, woodblock prints and street sushi.
Edo Highways: The Tōkaidō, the Nakasendō and the Original Road Trip
Post towns, checkpoints and pilgrimages: how Edo-period Japan travelled, and where you can still walk the same roads.
Nikkō: The Shrine Built for a Shogun-Turned-God
How Tokugawa Ieyasu became a deity, and why his shrine is covered in gold, carvings and one very sleepy cat.
Bakumatsu: Black Ships, Swords and the End of the Shogun
From Perry's arrival to the Boshin War: the dramatic last years of the Tokugawa.
Geisha: Myths, Facts and How to Be a Good Visitor
What geisha really are, how they differ from courtesans, and how to enjoy Gion and Kanazawa respectfully.