Sawara – a walk back in time
Ono river and town of Sawara. "What I found out was ... ," said Moeko Kita, " ... there are cats here and there!" Given the significance of cats in Japanese culture – they symbolise good luck and fortune – the town of Sawara was a booming business hub. Kita, who works at Association for Promotion of International Cooperation, is an avid photographer. She was accompanying Floyd Takeuchi, a senior photographer, veteran journalist and author. Sawara, a historic trading town, is 90 minutes north of Tokyo by express bus. "It has a well-kept historic district, with the canals once used for trading boat freighters that took rice and sake to Tokyo," said Takeuchi. The preservation of history and character makes this beautiful hamlet a photographer's dream. Back to the cats, Kita said. There were not many of them in the historical district, but one could see them as one walked into the town. A black cat resting at a small shrine "There was one cat that al...