After visiting Kairakuen, Semba Lake and Mito Komon´s birthplace I walked up to the former school inside a small but attractive park probably best visited when the plum trees blossom. The school building is a fine example of classical Japanese architecture. There are samples of...More

Most feudal domains in the Edo era maintained a school for samurais to provide them with higher education and training of swordmanship especially towards the end of the Edo era. Koudoukan was a relatively large school and up to a thousand samurais attended at the...More

Kodokan is not the most beautiful park I've seen in Japan, but I liked the history behind it and the Tokugawa shoguns. There's a little shop inside that sells handmade craft and I recommend buying small souvenirs there. Definitely better than in Tokyo. The Kodokan...More