Yet More Castles
We managed to take a much needed holiday over the past weekend. And whilst it was only a few days long it really helped sanity levels. We managed to get in some good eating (beef and bagels) some good site seeing (2 castles, some old fashioned streets and a museum) and some shopping (some might say a bit too much). Today I thought I'd cover the castles, because I like them, and I've talked about Japanese castles before.
The castles in question were Nagahama and Hikone. They lie pretty close to each other on the Eastern bank of Lake Biwa (the biggest lake in Japan). The main parts of the castles looked pretty similar to pretty much every other Japanese castle I have seen (as can be seen below) but the both offered two completely different experiences.
Nagahama castle stands pretty lonely in Nagahama. Its devoid of most of the fortifications that are often present around Japanese castles and is just a Keep. Its a pretty standard keep at that, with unimpressive modern innards and a standard Japanese facade. (As a side note I have now seen about 5 Japanese castles now, so while it might look impressive, it looks less so when you've seen a few). It was filled mostly with old documents and a few old relics. There was no English translations to speak of so I have no idea what they were trying to be showing but it looked a bit boring and piecemeal. There didn't seem to be any attempt at trying to tell a story of the castle or educate the visitor. Fortunately there was one standard thing that Nagahama did have that was a huge bonus. Great views. Most Japanese castles have a parapet you can walk around at the top that often offer the best views of the city surrounding it. Nagahama castles parapet offered wonderful views of Lake Biwa and Nagahama city. It was one of the few times on our trip that we could really see the extend of Lake Biwa. It was stunning.
Hikone castle was a totally different kettle of fish. On arriving in Hikone we stopped off at the tourist information office to pick up a map to the castle. What we came away with was an English guide to being a tourist in Hikone. Complete with walking routes, major sites, and a paragraph or two of information on everything worth seeing. This included a load of information about the castle. It was great. The castle itself is actually a huge complex with a large hill in the centre. The fortifications for the castle were pretty extensive and included a moat or two and a few very large walls and barricades. The guide we were given guided us up the hill along varies paths that lead to the keep at the very top. Then down the other side and through a very nice scenic garden. You can then go further still, walking down a touristy street that has been made up to look more traditional. It was a good place for souvenirs and ice cream. The only let down was the keep itself. Its a great keep because the inside is actually in the style that it used to be (has always been) but there are so many people wanting to see it you just end up shuffling around uncomfortably until you get ejected at the end and are left not quite understanding what you were meant to see. Oh, and there was no view at the top, just ridiculously steep steps.
