Images of Fukuoka, Kyoto and Tottori. February 2023. “Fukuoka is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a centre of international commerce since ancient times. “Kyoto is the capital city of […]
Images of Osaka, Kobe and Takamatsu. January 2023. “Osaka had a population of 2.7 million in the 2020 census, it is also the largest component of the Keihanshin Metropolitan Area, which is the second-largest metropolitan area in Japan. Osaka means ‘large hill’ or ‘large slope’. It is unclear when this name gained prominence over Naniwa, […]
Images of Tokyo. November and December 2022. “Tokyo is the capital and most populous city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area (13,452 square kilometres or 5,194 square miles) is the most populous in the world. Tokyo serves as Japan’s economic centre and is the seat of both the Japanese government and the […]
Images of Tokyo. August 2019. “Tokyo forms part of the Kantō region on the southeastern side of Japan’s main island, Honshu. “Originally a small fishing village named Edo, the city became a prominent political centre of Japan when Shōgun Tokugawa Ieyasu made the city his headquarters in 1603. When Emperor Meiji moved the imperial seat […]
The recent tensions between China and Japan over the Senkaku Islands (or Diaoyu Islands) show that both countries are still unable to overcome past hostilities or suspicions. Nine years ago I wrote this piece for an American publication, as at that time I was living in China (2003-2006) and was able to offer a perspective […]