{"id":87634,"date":"2021-12-10T00:32:08","date_gmt":"2021-12-09T15:32:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/?p=87634"},"modified":"2021-12-10T00:32:12","modified_gmt":"2021-12-09T15:32:12","slug":"being-a-samurai-for-a-day-meihodo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/being-a-samurai-for-a-day-meihodo\/","title":{"rendered":"Being a Samurai for a Day in Meihodo, Kumamoto"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What if I told you that here\u2019s also a hidden place where the ultimate bushido (The Way of the Warrior) experience is possible? Kumamoto prefecture, the last resting place for legendary samurai Musashi Miyamoto, is also one of the regions where the long-lasting legacy of his philosophical thought and martial arts school is kept alive. Here, there\u2019s a place surrounded by nature at the base of Mount Aso, so secluded and off the beaten tracks that even my local taxi had no clue what it was nor its whereabouts when I told him to take me to Meihodo. So there I was, helping my own driver with my phone\u2019s map application and secretly hoping I wasn\u2019t giving the wrong directions. Fortunately, we eventually made it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And saying the small effort was worth it may be the understatement of the century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Meihodo
A new path awaits you after crossing this door<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

What is Meihodo?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meihodo<\/a> (\u9cf4\u9cf3\u5802) is a vast facility of 56,000 m2<\/sup> and a couple dozen buildings built to resemble what a traditional Edo period samurai residence used to look like. But there\u2019s an air of authenticity that cannot be found on existing historical samurai residences nowadays, many of which function mainly as museums, beautiful stagnant pavilions, not to interact with. Meihodo is made to be lived in. During my two-day stay, I participated in various experiences offered at Meihodo. Here, Bushido is not a relic of times past but a very much alive way of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n