“Interestingly, many of the older okonomiyaki restaurants in Hiroshima share the names of their matron founders who, during the war and its aftermath, opened their shops when their husbands went off to – or failed to return from – the war.”
Setouchi Reflection Trip – Article “Iwakuni’s Kintaikyo Bridge – Feudal Architecture at its Finest”
“Walking across Kintaikyo’s rolling, hill-like arches brings with it that uniquely exhilarating feeling of touching history with every footstep.”
Setouchi Reflection Trip – Article “Kagura Monzen Tojimura – Experience Ancient Theater in a Vintage Village”
“In a flash, the dancing women transform into demons, their hideous faces glowering in the mist above our helpless heroes as the wood flute unleashes a desperate flourish, and the drums and cymbals thrash a wild frenzy.”
Setouchi Reflection Trip – Article “Bizen Osafune Japanese Sword Museum – Keeping the Ancient Arts Alive”
“Walking through the workshops surrounding the museum, one can see other craftsmen at work, too — an engraver, a scabbard maker, a sword polisher, and more. Watching them work felt like peering back through the mists of time.”
Setouchi Reflection Trip – Article “Kojima Jeans Street – Weaving History from the World’s Finest Denim”
“In 1965, the first Japanese jeans, produced by Big John in Kojima, hit stores with smashing success. Soon more Japanese jeans makers joined the fray, and the floundering Okayama textile industry emerged from the shallows with fresh wind in its newly loomed, indigo sails.”
Setouchi Reflection Trip – Article “Kakushi Sushi – Seditious, Nutritious, and Delicious”
“You may be wondering why anyone would go out of their way to make a delicacy engineered to look so underwhelming? The answer, deliciously enough, is rebellion.”