Explaining Northern Japan to Rwandans. Hachimantai city in Iwate prefecture is located in the Tohoku region of Northern Japan. It’s a Host Town for Olympic athletes from Rwanda. In this video I explain what it’s like there in the winter.
Posts Written OnMarch 2021
LWIF EP159: How a Japanese Town Keeps its 800 Year Pottery Tradition Alive
Tambayaki, or Tamba ware, is an 800 year old tradition that is still carried on today by about 60 kilns located around the Tachikui district. What is often the case when hearing about these kinds of traditional practices, is that you find out it’s a dying craft. So it’s encouraging to hear that this group of potters have not only been able to keep the craft alive generation after generation, but they are still thriving to this day.
LWIF EP158: What a Japanese Castle Town is Like Nowadays
What a Japanese Castle Town is Like Nowadays. I traveled to Tamba-sasayama, a town about an hour’s train ride away from Kyoto and Osaka, to visit a place that some call ‘Small-Kyoto’. I check out what it’s like around the local castle, Sasayama Castle, as well as the surrounding areas for samurai, peasants, merchants and artisans.