This gallery contains 11 photos.
So just when I thought I was done with the second China-Korea-Japan leg of my Grand Tour of the East, I find myself in Hakodate, in Japan’s northern-most island of Hokkaido. Hakodate was THE very first treaty port in Japan, … Continue reading
This gallery contains 13 photos.
So inevitably, I have arrived at the epilogue to Part II of my Grand Tour, on the Treaty Ports and Imperial Cities of China, Korea and Japan. 15 glittering cities of the Far East – Hong Kong, Macao, Canton, Amoy, … Continue reading
This gallery contains 19 photos.
The other historic grand hotel in Tokyo – and the one I actually stayed at – is the Tokyo Station Hotel. The Tokyo Station opened its doors in 1914 – it was built by the same architect that designed the Bank … Continue reading
This gallery contains 17 photos.
The Imperial Hotel is THE grande dame of the hospitality scene in Tokyo. It was built in the Meiji Era – the first Western-style hotel in Japan, built to cater to European visitors. It opened in 1890 but unfortunately, burnt down in … Continue reading
This gallery contains 15 photos.
The Imperial Palace in Tokyo stands on the foundations of the former Edo Castle, which has existed on the same site since 1457. In 1868, the Meiji Emperor moved from his Imperial Palace in Kyoto to the Edo Castle, renaming it … Continue reading
This gallery contains 33 photos.
To really view specimens of Meiji-era architecture up-close, one has to travel Southeast to Inuyama 犬山, a small town on the outskirts of Nagoya, for the one-of-a-kind Meiji Mura Museum. Literally meaning “Meiji Village,” Meiji Mura 明治村 is a sprawling … Continue reading
This gallery contains 47 photos.
In 1868, the Meiji Emperor, upon ascending to the Chrysanthemum Throne in the Imperial Capital, Kyoto 京都, subdued the Tokugawa Shogunate and abolished shogunates altogether, declaring that from henceforth, political power would once again be restored to the Monarchy. The last time … Continue reading
This gallery contains 25 photos.
Underneath the contemporary glass and steel of Tokyo likes the older city of Edo, the seat of power of the Tokugawa Shogunate. The city became the de facto capital of Japan in 1603, when the Tokugawa Ieyasu consolidated power and … Continue reading
This gallery contains 15 photos.
So finally, 15 months and 14 cities later, we arrive here at the final destination of our Grand Tour of the Far East: Tokyo, also known as the Eastern Capital 東京. Tokyo is most often known as a hyper-modern metropolis – … Continue reading
This gallery contains 20 photos.
Hotel New Grand is the grande dame of Yokohama’s hospitality scene, and the only European-style grand hotel in Japan that still exists in pretty much condition as in the 1920s. The hotel was opened in 1927, four years after the … Continue reading
Dream Of A City 