Castles

Himeji Castle Himeji Castle, also known as White Heron Castle (Shirasagijo) due to its elegant, white appearance, is widely considered as Japan’s most spectacular castle for its imposing size and beauty and its well preserved, complex castle grounds. The castle is both a national treasure and a world heritage site. Unlike many other Japanese castles, it was never destroyed by war, earthquake or fire and survives to this day as one of the country’s twelve original castles. The castle recently underwent extensive renovation over several years and was fully re-opened to the public in 2015.

Himeji Castle lies at a strategic point along the western approach to the former capital city of Kyoto. The first fortifications built on the site were completed in the 1400s, and were gradually enlarged over the centuries by the various clans who ruled over the region. The castle complex as it survives today is over 400 years old and was completed in 1609. It is made up of over eighty buildings spread across multiple baileys, which are connected by a series of gates and winding paths. https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3501.html

Matsumoto Castle Matsumoto Castle is one of five castles designated as ‘National Treasures of Japan’ and the oldest five-tiered, six-story castle tower remaining in Japan. Construction began in 1592 of the elegant black and white structure with its three turrets. Inside the castle are steep stairs and low ceilings leading past displays of armor and weapons from the Sengoku Period (Warring States Period) when the castle was built. The narrow wooden windows, once used by archers and gunmen, provide amazing views of the Japanese Alps, Matsumoto City and the koi and swans circling in the moat below.

You might wait for a maximum of two hours to enter the castle tower during the peak season of late April – early May Golden Week and mid August summer vacation (obon) holidays. In such cases, numbered tickets are sometimes issued and you can come later with your ticket to enter the tower quicker. The castle is beautifully illuminated in the evening.

Every summer Taiko Drum Festival and a Takigi Noh (a play performed by torch light) festivals are held at the site which is also famous for its cherry blossoms in April.

https://visitmatsumoto.com/en/spot/matsumotocastle/

Osaka Castle The construction of Osaka Castle started in 1583 on the former site of the Ishiyama Honganji Temple, which had been destroyed by Oda Nobunaga thirteen years earlier. Toyotomi Hideyoshi intended the castle to become the center of a new, unified Japan under Toyotomi rule. It was the largest castle at the time.

However, a few years after Hideyoshi’s death, Tokugawa troops attacked and destroyed the castle and terminated the Toyotomi lineage in 1615. Osaka Castle was rebuilt by Tokugawa Hidetada in the 1620s, but its main castle tower was struck by lightening in 1665 and burnt down.

It was not until 1931 that the present ferro-concrete reconstruction of the castle tower was built. During the war it miraculously survived the city wide air raids. Major repair works gave the castle new glamor in 1997. The castle tower is now entirely modern on the inside and even features an elevator for easier accessibility. It houses an informative museum about the castle’s history and Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4000.html

Nature

Nature

Mount Fuji

Mount Fuji, Japanese Fuji-san, also spelled Fujisan, also called Fujiyama or Fuji no Yama, highest mountain in Japan. It rises to 12,388 feet (3,776 metres) near the Pacific Ocean coast in Yamanashi and Shizuoka ken (prefectures) of central Honshu, about 60 miles (100 km) west of the Tokyo-Yokohama metropolitan area. It is a volcano that has been dormant since its last eruption, in 1707, but is still generally classified as active by geologists. The mountain is the major feature of Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park (1936), and it is at the centre of a UNES CO World Heritage site designated in 2013.

https://www.britannica.com/place/Mount-Fuji

Mount Fuji

Mount Fuji, Japanese Fuji-san, also spelled Fujisan, also called Fujiyama or Fuji no Yama, highest mountain in Japan. It rises to 12,388 feet (3,776 metres) near the Pacific Ocean coast in Yamanashi and Shizuoka ken (prefectures) of central Honshu, about 60 miles (100 km) west of the Tokyo-Yokohama metropolitan area. It is a volcano that has been dormant since its last eruption, in 1707, but is still generally classified as active by geologists. The mountain is the major feature of Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park (1936), and it is at the centre of a UNES-

Sakura

Sakura is the Japanese term for cherry blossom trees. Cherry blossom trees are different from other cherry trees. The main difference is that cherry blossom trees don’t produce fruit. Instead, they bloom with beautiful pink or white flowers each spring. Unfortunately, the trees only flower for a week or two.

Cherry blossom trees are an icon of Japan. Some people even call the cherry blossom Japan’s informal national flower. The Japanese school year starts in April, during cherry blossom season. The flowers symbolize good luck, love, and springtime. Since they bloom for such a short time, cherry blossom trees also represent human mortality. They remind us how short and precious life is.

Every year, Japanese people track the progress of the blossoming cherry trees. They call it the sakura zensen, or cherry blossom front. The blooming moves slowly north with warmer weather. It starts in Okinawa in January and moves to Kyoto and Tokyo by the beginning of April. As the cherry trees bloom in each area, the Japanese enjoy hanami. This is the tradition of picnicking under a blooming cherry blossom tree. This tradition goes back many centuries. It’s a time of festivals and celebrations in honor of the cherry blossoms.

https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/what-are-sakura

Okinawa The Okinawa Prefecture, in the southernmost province of Japan, counts three main archipelagos: the Okinawa Islands, the Miyako Islands and the Yaeyamaislands, forming all together the Ryukyu Islands. I know it can be confusing but try to differentiate Okinawa Island, the Okinawa Islands, the Okinawa Prefecture!

Okinawa is one of these places where it is not so straightforward to organise a scuba diving trip. There are so many islands in the prefecture of Okinawa, so many scuba diving experiences, at different periods of the year: it became somehow overwhelming to answer “What? Where? When?” As this was the first trip of a long series to Okinawa Prefecture, I thought a first-timer guide to scuba diving in Okinawa would make sense! https://worldadventuredivers.com/scuba-diving-okinawa-first-time/

food and drink

food and drink

Sushi Sushi is the most famous Japanese dish outside of Japan, and one of the most popular dishes among the Japanese. In Japan, sushi is usually enjoyed on special occasions, such as a celebration.

In past centuries, “sushi” referred to pickled fish preserved in vinegar. Nowadays sushi can be defined as a dish containing rice which has been prepared with sushi vinegar. There are many different types of sushi.

Note that “sushi” becomes “zushi” in word combinations in which “sushi” is the second word, e.g. nigirizushi.

https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2038.html

Soba Soba noodles are noodles made of buckwheat flour, roughly as thick as spaghetti, and prepared in various hot and cold dishes. Soba dishes are very popular and easily available nationwide. As 100% buckwheat soba noodles tend to be brittle, many restaurants add some wheat flour when preparing their noodles. Depending on the shop, the percentage of buckwheat flour in soba noodles typically ranges between 40% and 100%.

Note also that there are a few noodle dishes named soba (e.g. yakisoba, chukasoba or Okinawa Soba) that are not made with buckwheat noodles. More often than not, however, “soba” refers to buckwheat noodles.

The most basic soba dish is mori soba in which boiled, cold soba noodles are eaten with a soya based dipping sauce (tsuyu). Many soba dishes are eaten throughout the year, while others are only available seasonally. A special kind of soba dish is Toshikoshi Soba, a symbol of longevity, that is only eaten on New Year’s Eve.

Like pasta, soba noodles are available in dried form in supermarkets, but they taste best if freshly made by hand from flour and water. Soba making has long been a popular hands-on activity for domestic and international travelers. The activity is offered by many craft villages and travel tour companies.

https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2341.html

Sake Sake is an alcoholic drink made from fermented rice. Often referred to as nihonshu in Japanese (to differentiate it from “sake” which in Japanese can also refer to alcohol in general), the drink enjoys widespread popularity and is served at all types of restaurants and drinking establishments. And as interest in Japanese cuisine has grown internationally, sake has started to become a trendy and recognizable drink around the world.

The foundations of good sake are quality rice, clean water, koji mold and yeast. They are combined and fermented in precise processes that have been refined over the centuries. Typically filtered (although unfiltered products are also available), the resulting clear to slightly yellowish rice wines have an alcohol content of around 15 percent and relatively mild flavor profiles, ranging from light and crisp to richer, more substantial, fruity notes. Sake pairs well with almost any kind of food but compliments the delicate flavors of traditional Japanese meals particularly well.

https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2037_sake.html