Tracing William Adams' footsteps ...
Ito, a popular seaside onsen hot spring resort an easy train ride from Tokyo, lies at the northern end of the Izu Peninsula. William Adams was tasked by Tokugawa Ieyasu to build and commission Japanโs first galleons using [...] Learn more โ
Ito, Shizuoka Prefecture
Hirado is one of Japanโs little known but most intriguing places. Sake brand Hiran says: "The name Hirado is said to derive from the island's silhouette as seen from the sea, which resembled a phoenix (้ธ [ran]) taking flightโa spirit transformed into an island. Learn more โ
Usuki, Oita Prefecture
In August 2023, British Ambassador to Japan Julia Longbottom CMG visited Kuroshima where William Adams became the first English person to arrive in Japan when his ship De Liefde washed ashore on this small island off Usuki in April 1600. Learn more โ
Hirado, Nagasaki Prefecture
Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture
The Nihonbashi district was the commercial centre of Edo, the original name given to Tokyo, and also Japan during the ascendency of the samurai. Nihonbashi, which literally means โBridge of Japanโ, is derived from the river crossing where the nationโs major thoroughfares converged [...] Learn more โ
Tokugawa Ieyasu rewarded William Adams loyalty with the status of hatamoto, a high-ranking Samurai in the direct service of Tokugawa shoguns. This status also came with a fief, which for Adams was at Hemi in Yokosuka [...] Learn more โ
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