Northern Japan: The End?

Late August 2009

Writing this took almost as long as the trip itself. Fortunately, traveling refreshed me, and I returned home healthy and bursting with energy. I tackled the job of writing down my experiences. Like putting together a scrapbook, I carefully arranged my thoughts and feelings.

I included a lot of history, and I know that’s not everyone’s cup of tea. But history is an integral part of my travel. I chose cities with the theme of the “losers” of the Bakumatsu conflict, but I ended up retracing the Boshin Civil War (1868-1869) in backwards manner.

In the spring of 1868 most of Japan had already acknowledged the new Imperial government, created under the alliance of Satsuma (Kagoshima), Choshu (Yamaguchi), and, to some extent, Tosa (Kochi). But there were pockets of resistance. The direct retainers of the Tokugawa Shogunate fought the Imperial army in Tokyo in the summer of 1868. They were defeated. War raged in Aizu that autumn, led by such people as Saito Hajime. By November, Aizu was broken. Enomoto Takeaki, Hijikata Toshizo, and a few others retreated to Sendai, briefly, then up to Hakodate. They set up the Ezo Republic that winter. The imperial army arrived in spring of 1869 and destroyed the republic. The Boshin Civil War came to an end.

And with it, officially, Bakumatsu history.

I have run out of places to visit. This was my last major history-themed trip. That’s not to say I won’t travel in Japan anymore or find ways to bore you with my obscure interests. But I will not put as much effort into planning my trips or recording my adventures afterwards. It’s just too much work. I have one more year in Japan. I feel like this part of my life is coming to an end, and I need to prepare for the next phase.

I hope you enjoyed the ride. I did.