houhua in Japan·Oct 19I Saw Hirosaki Castle in 2024 — While the Entire Tower Was 78 Meters From HomeThe 1810 castle tower was moved intact for a massive stone-wall restoration. Now, in 2026, it is slowly being moved back.
houhua in Japan·Oct 18Crossing Japan’s Tsuru-no-Mai Bridge During a Three-Year RestorationIn August 2024, I happened to visit during one of the periods when Japan’s longest triple-arch wooden bridge was open between major…
houhua in Japan·Oct 17A Former Cider Factory Became an Art Museum in Northern JapanHirosaki’s century-old brick warehouse has been a sake brewery, a cider factory, a rice storehouse — and now a museum of contemporary art.
houhua in Japan·Oct 15I Missed Hirosaki’s Neputa Festival — But the Festival Was Still EverywhereA few days after the August parade ended, Hirosaki was still full of warrior faces, goldfish lanterns and traces of a 300-year-old…
houhua in Japan·Oct 7Before This Small Railway in Northern Japan Goes QuietI rode Aomori’s glowing Goldfish Neputa Train in 2024. The Ōwani Line is now scheduled to suspend service in 2028.
