Of course, Japanese history
Stories and culture alive and breathing throughout the city!
An essential historical travel book in just one volume!

From Japanese mythology to the 21st century, the vast history of Japan is deeply and richly unraveled through the histories of 30 cities.
As the saying goes, “Cities are works of history,” Japanese history has been formed with cities as its backdrop.
Therefore, examining the history of Japan's 30 representative cities to understand their current appearance is an effective way to understand not only the overall context of Japanese history but also Japan today.


It covers a wide range of cities, including familiar ones like Kyoto, Nara, and Tokyo, which have served as the centers of Japan since ancient times, as well as cities with unfamiliar names like Imai, Yamaguchi, and Matsuyama, but which are essential for understanding Japan.
This book will be an excellent guide for anyone who wants to study difficult and unfamiliar Japanese history through the familiar keyword of cities, and for anyone who wants to build their knowledge of Japanese history by traveling through 30 cities with abundant photos and maps.


The deep and diverse stories told by Japanese cities will provide an experience that delves into not only Japanese history but also the history intertwined with Korea.
Moreover, you will discover new aspects of cities you thought you knew well, and you will find charms that are no longer unfamiliar in cities you were not familiar with.

"A lake that has the elegance of a thin pearl oyster filled with water, but feels fleeting." - This is how Osamu Dazai described Lake Chusan in his autobiographical novel, "Tsugaru 津?"
Jusanho is a brackish lake adjacent to the East Sea, consisting of a mixture of fresh water and salt water.
Due to its characteristics, the radish is a specialty product, and recently, the radish ramen made with the abundant radish has become famous as a specialty dish.
---From "Tosaminato: A Medieval Trading City that Prospered Under the Ando Family"

The Spanish ambassador, Sebastián Vizcaino, visited Sendai Castle the year after its completion and commented in his book, “Gold and Silver Island Exploration Report,” that it was “one of the finest and most durable castles in Japan.”
---From "Sendai_The 'Forest City' Containing Date Masamune's Wishes"

Hideyoshi had his eyes set on Edo, which had once been prosperous.
The intention behind giving this land to Ieyasu may have been to check the various daimyō of Ou? Ue who had not yet submitted to the Toyotomi clan, or it may have been to see in Edo the potential to become a large city like Osaka, the "city of water."
At least, it is currently assumed that it was not a demotion as commonly believed.

---From "Tokyo: The City of Blood, Sweat, and Tears of Ieyasu, Who Unified the World"

Of all the cities of medieval Japan, the one most famous in European society at the time was not Tokyo or Hakata, but Sakai.
Gaspar Villera, a Portuguese missionary who visited Japan in 1556, introduced Sakai as the “Venice of the East” in his book, and it is said that its name was also written on world maps of the time.

---From "Sakai_The Venice of the East" that developed through the autonomy of merchants

The Joseon envoy dispatched by the Joseon king to Edo also used Tomonoura as a transit point.
Around 1690 during the Genroku period, a guest house was built adjacent to the main hall of Fujinji Temple in Tomochotomo, and was used as a guest house for the Joseon diplomatic mission.
In 1711, Lee Bang-eon, an official of the Joseon Tongsinsa, visited Japan and praised the view from the guest house overlooking Benten Island and Sensui Island floating in the Seto Inland Sea as “the most beautiful place in Japan.” In 1748, Hong Gye-hui, who visited Japan as an envoy of the Tongsinsa, named this guest house Daejoru?潮?.

---From "Tomonoura - A Small Fishing Village That Inspired Hayao Miyazaki"