On December 31, 2022, I started my journey west. I arrived back in Korea on February 3, 2024. It was a 400-day trip around the world. The trip west took me around the world and back to Korea. After Okinawa, I traveled to Northern Kyushu with my family for a few days before returning to…
[Japan] 21. At the Tip of the Archipelago
It was a 40-minute bus ride from Kagoshima to the airport. It was the first airport I’ve been to in a long time. I boarded the plane and head further south, to Okinawa. After a flight of over an hour, I arrived in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture. It was winter, but the temperature in Naha was…
[Japan] 20. The Beginning and End of the Revolution
I boarded a ship in Shimabara, Nagasaki Prefecture. After an hour’s sail, I arrived in Kumamoto. Further down from there was Kagoshima, the southern tip of Kyushu. My journey began in Sapporo. I’ve been heading south for nearly two months. And now I’ve arrived in Kagoshima. Kagoshima was just as far away. Tokyo and Kagoshima…
[Japan] 19. An Island of the West
The Japanese archipelago stretches from northeast to southwest. It is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the southeast and the Esat Sea to the northwest. To the northeast of Japan, beyond Hokkaido, are Sakhalin and the Siberian tundra. Neither the Pacific nor Siberia have been invaded by outside forces for a long time. Japan is…
[Japan] 18. Thoughts while Eating Ekiben
I’ve finally crossed over to Kyushu. I started my trip in Hokkaido. I crossed over to Honshu, with a brief stop in Shikoku. Now that I’m in Kyushu, I’ve visited four of Japan’s islands. During my long journey around Japan, I traveled primarily by rail. I’ve also used ferries and buses. But they’re not as…
[Japan] 17. Hometown of the Revolution
The train runs further west. I’ve reached the tip of Honshu, the edge of the Kanmon Strait. This is Shimonoseki. Shimonoseki is a small city in western Yamaguchi Prefecture, with a population of just under a quarter of a million people. A short bus ride from the station took me into a quiet town even…
[Japan] 16. War and Peace Are Here
From Okayama, I boarded a train on the Sanyo Main Line along the sea. The ride to Hiroshima took over three hours. I took the slower local train instead of the faster Shinkansen. Hiroshima was a bigger city than I expected. The city of Hiroshima has a population of over 1 million, making it one…
[Japan] 15. The Pace of This Island
Japan is an island nation consisting of more than 14,000 islands. Five of them are specifically referred to as the “mainland”: Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, and Okinawa. Except for Okinawa, which has a different geographical and historical background, four of these islands can be considered the four main islands of the Japanese archipelago. The smallest…
[Japan] 14. Capital of the Millennium
I remember when I was in school. In class, the professor asked, “Is the capital of South Korea Seoul?” When the class answered yes, he asked again, “On what basis?” I remember another student answering this question with a bit of humor. “Because its name is Seoul?” The word Seoul itself comes from the Korean…
[Japan] 13. Westward Over the Gateway
I’ve boarded a train on the Tokaido Line in Nagoya. The train arrives at Sekigahara Station. After a brief stop, the train runs west again. I have now crossed Sekigahara. West of Sekigahara, I’ve arrived in the Kansai region. Kansai is Japan’s second-largest metropolis. It’s home to the huge cities of Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe….