Japanese Castles

During my trip to Japan, I was fortunate to visit several Japanese castles of the feudal era.

During the Meiji Restoration of the 19th century, castles were viewed as symbols of the previous ruling elite, and the vast majority of them were destroyed. Their historical and cultural significance is now recognized and attracts millions of tourists each year.

Osaka Castle

This castle built in the 17th century was destroyed multiple times in the past, and today visitors can see a concrete reproduction of the original.

The main tower (tenshukaku) hosts a museum and has an elevator installed.

An impressive outside moat surrounds the castle.

Himeji Castle

This is the largest and most visited feudal era castle in Japan, and along with Matsumoto Castle and Kumamoto Castle, Himeji Castle is considered one of Japan's three premier castles.

This castle's history starts as early as the 14th century when a fort was built on the Himeyama hill.

The castle is known as White Heron Castle due to its brilliant white exterior and supposed resemblance to a bird taking flight.

Several interesting facts about the castle:

• The castle used to have three moats, of which the outer one is buried as of today.

• The castle complex contained 33 wells within the inner moat, 13 of which remain.

• There are around 1,000 loopholes remaining today.

Okayama Castle

Just like the Osaka Castle, this castle was built in the 16th century and rebuilt in concrete after WWII. It is nicknamed "Crow Castle" due to its dark exterior. One of Japan's greatest gardens, Kōraku-en, is located near this castle.