Naturally Nihon

This morning we investigated Matsuyama Castle, fearing it might be a mock-up, Osaka-style; concrete and an elevator inside.  Well, the castle sits on a hilltop overlooking the city, so it has a natural defensive advantage. Although it doesn't have an elevator inside the Castle, it does sport a quaint cable car to get you from street level up to the lower grounds of the castle, or if you're more of a thrill-seeker, a chair lift (no belts or restraining bars). Once at the top of the 'ropeway' - as the Japanese refer to cable cars - there's still a healthy climb to the top. There are at least three zig-zag gateways, natural killing zones, that an attacker would have to break through to reach the castle itself. Admittedly, the castle was rebuilt in 1852 (of course) after a fire, but it was rebuilt in wood which means it has a lovely old feel to it, and it's not hard to imagine stepping back in time. Arrow slips and loop holes give out into th...

It's notable that on some "Top 10 Things to do in Osaka", "Day Trip to Kyoto" appears as one of them! There are actually loads of things to see and do here, such as The 2025 Expo, Universal Studios, the Osaka Aquarium and, of course, the castle, but...it isn't far from the truth to say that of the top 100 things to do here, 95 are shopping or eating. The population of Osaka is almost the same as London, but it has an estimated 120,000 eateries compared with London's 15,000! A ninefold uplift! Zoiks, Scooby Doo! So this morning we went and joined the throng at Osaka-jō. This is (obviously) a reconstruction of an earlier one that burned down, which replaced the one before that which was burned to the ground! This concrete copy may last a bit longer. The most extraordinary thing about these Japanese castles is their moats and defensive walls. They could have taught the Europeans a thing or two. The earlier two...