Comments on: At what cost?

By: JapanDave

JapanDave — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 00:00:38 +0000

It’s a tough building to get a decent photo of. Trees all around it and a large shrine tight on one side. I have taken a few, but never posted them because of bad light. I’m going tomorrow to see the new building you tweeted me about, so I’ll see if I can’t snap a decent shot and tweet it to you.

By: admin

admin — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 08:19:12 +0000

JapanDave

“How did this stuff ever get approved?” good question but thank goodness those days are over. As for Okazaki Castle, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a clear picture of it. There always seems to be trees or other buildings in the way. It that how it is?

By: JapanDave

JapanDave — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 07:32:04 +0000

I wish they would rebuild Okazaki castle to be more like the original. Outside it is beautiful (except the wire surrounding the balcony at the top), but inside… it is one of the typical concrete museums, but it is also without a doubt one of the *uglyest* concrete museum “castle” interiors I have been in in Japan. How did this stuff ever get approved? Maybe they thought no one would actually go inside….

By: admin

admin — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 05:32:56 +0000

Hi Rad,

I think it’s great money is being spent to get this work done. I really do. And to be completely honest, I don’t care how much gets spent – it’s not my money.

What is ludicrous, is that Fukuoka Castle’s Shimonohashi Ōtemon, which is basically single-story, log cabin that’s the size of a one-room apartment, can cost as much as it did. It makes me wonder how much of the USD$3,300,000 went into the actual structure & how much went into meetings and “related expenses”.

But like I said, I’m glad things are getting rebuilt.

By: Rad

Rad — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 05:08:32 +0000

Some people may think that the numbers are ludicrous. But restoring the tenshu of a UNESCO site like Himeji castle is praiseworthy at the cost.

By: admin

admin — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 04:05:58 +0000

Mr pool of Zen, I have actually considered hitch-hiking to Himeji to get a job pushing around a wheelbarrow. If I could look back on my life & say to the grand kiddies, you know what, when I was younger Zzzz… Zzzz…

I would love to be able to tell that story. Including the bit after I woke from my sudden nap.

By: admin

admin — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 04:01:37 +0000

Absolutely, Tornadoes28. I think many people/governments are unhappy to be stuck with these aging, concrete castles. I had been reading last year that Nagoya was putting plans together to replace their Tenshu with a wooden one. That would be huge if they did that.

I would rather see nothing (I mean just the stone foundations) than see a concrete building. They don’t age well.

By: 真秀

真秀 — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 03:58:48 +0000

Wow! That’s incredible!!! It pays to be a castle reconstructor, eh. Maybe you can go into the consulting biz!

By: Tornadoes28

Tornadoes28 — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 03:56:13 +0000

I am glad they are trying to be a accurate to the originals as they can. I think authenticity is more important than building it quickly.