Castles

The castles in Japan were amazing! There are 12 original ones remaining and the rest have been reconstructed (which is still great because you get to see what they looked like originally). Himeji Castle was definitely one of the highlights of the trip and, in my opinion, one of the wonders of the world; right up there with Machu Picchu or the Taj Mahal, etc. It's amazing that it didn't get damaged during World War Two. There were lots of gates to go through/get past, twisting passageways with 90 and 180 degree turns, dozens of arrow loops, low ceilings, etc. It was unfortunately undergoing repairs while I was there so I wasn't able to inside the actual castle itself. Matsumoto Castle was also one of the castles I really wanted to see. Nagoya Castle was huge and I took a break from watching sumo wrestling to go and wander around the grounds a bit. Inuyama is the oldest. The displays inside Osaka Castle about a famous battle that took place there were really interesting. Most had huge stone walls and keep foundations, then the castle was built on top out of wood. Lots of moats too, I love moats. Usually armour and weapons displays inside.