Castle mascots

Article posted on Thursday, August, 18th, 2011 at 1:08 pm

Characters are popular with kids, and with more mature-types too I guess. I’ve met people who are legally regarded as adults yet are mad on a particular Disney character. It may not be my cup of tea, but I have my share of childish interests. Heck, who doesn’t?

Cute & funny characters are one thing, but partnering them with an historical site strikes me as a little odd. I mean, people have fought & died at some of these places. Maybe, I’m just being a stick in the mud. That may well be the case because it seems not everyone would agree with me.

Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to present to you…

Name Affiliation with Design Inspiration Additional info Official Website

Oshirobo kun Aizu Wakamatsu Castle Aizu Wakamatsu's main tower Is all about cheering for the future Here (link)

Name Affiliation with Design Inspiration Additional info Official Website

Kamejirō Echizen Ōno Castle The castle sits atop 亀山 (Turtle mountain) N/A Here (link)

Name Affiliation with Design Inspiration Additional info Official Website

Hiko Nyan Hikone Castle The 2nd lord of Hikone rescued a cat Likes to stroll around the castle Here (link)

Name Affiliation with Design Inspiration Additional info Official Website

Shiromaru Hime Himeji Castle White mochi A singer who likes tea in the garden Here (link)

Name Affiliation with Design Inspiration Additional info Official Website

Takamaru kun Hirosaki Castle Hirosaki Castle nickname “Hawk-hill” castle Gets carried away easily Here (link)

Name Affiliation with Design Inspiration Additional info Official Website

Karawan kun Karatsu Castle The last Ogasawara Daimyo (& Garfield??) Likes to make people smile Here (link)

Name Affiliation with Design Inspiration Additional info Official Website

Korō kun Kikuchi Castle An Asuka Period warrior & Kikuchi’s tower Likes to walk around & eat old-style rice Here (link)

Name Affiliation with Design Inspiration Additional info Official Website

Tora’cha Kokura Castle Famous paintings relating to the castle Likes to pickle then eat veggies Here (link)

Name Affiliation with Design Inspiration Additional info Official Website

Higo Maru Kumamoto Castle Kumamoto's main tower Likes to dance Here (link)

Name Affiliation with Design Inspiration Additional info Official Website

Hachimaru Nagoya Castle He’s a wanderer Likes to exchange gifts Here (link)

Name Affiliation with Design Inspiration Additional info Official Website

Yume maru Ōsaka Castle The castle & the plum blossom N/A Here (link)

Name Affiliation with Design Inspiration Additional info Official Website

Musubi maru Sendai Castle Date Masamune & a rice ball (?) Likes napping & visiting hot-springs Here (link)

In the process of putting together this post, I was reminded of a quote from Pulp Fiction. “Just because you are a character doesn’t mean that you have character.” I’ll leave it to the reader to decide whether that quote applies here.

The Rebuilding Phase

Article posted on Friday, August, 12th, 2011 at 1:43 pm

Time and time again, I read of people’s disappointment upon discovering that the traditional Japanese castle that they’ve just visited, is concrete, or that “it has an elevator”. There’s no need for the sad-faced emoticon, it’s plain for all to see.

Have you experienced disappointed with a Japanese castle visit? Let’s face it, who hasn’t? Be sure to leave a comment, I like to hear what you have to say.

The fact is though, that castles with rebuilt main towers are common. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if this category of castle were the most visited. Consider the castles of Ōsaka, Nagoya & Hiroshima, they are far more accessible to the jet-setting tourist than many of Japan’s original castles.

Help is here

To assist those hoping to come away with a more positive experience from their castle visit, I’ve put together the following tables. The coloured boxes will guide you from here on in.

I will give away one thing though, and that is that it looks like the age of concrete replicas just might be over.

The view at the top

Article posted on Tuesday, July, 5th, 2011 at 9:47 pm

How disappointing that Japan’s truly interesting castles get tourists. I mean, except for providing them with actual purpose, crowds are just about the worst thing if you want to immerse yourself in the aura & mystique of a centuries-old castle.

You can try to get there early if you like, but it’s not long after the security guards push open the front gates that the bus-loads of sightseers start surging through. They arrive with the determination and speed of a flash-flood, and are just about as welcome.

Once the swell of people arrive at your heels, you are swept through the narrow corridors and up the steep stairs as though you are surfing in a queue. The conga-line does make a stop though, right at the top.

We have now arrived at the upper-most level of Matsumoto castle. And, what I’ve just described was what I experienced last Summer on my trip to Nagano Pref. An amazing place to visit, but the view at the top wasn’t what I was expecting.

I’d really love for you to leave a comment. Perhaps you’ve had similar experiences.

Iga Ueno’s moving castle

Article posted on Saturday, June, 25th, 2011 at 7:43 am

Four, unique trucks from four different Iga-city-based transport companies do more than just deliver their goods all over Japan, they are also official tourism ambassadors of their home town(s). They all look fantastic, so be sure to click on this (pic pop-up) to see all four in their funky livery.

It’s been over a year since I first became aware of the travelling billboards of Iga (Mie Pref). I would’ve written a post about it back then, but I couldn’t get pictures and thought I never would. This all changed the other day though. I was on the way home from work on Kyūshū’s route 3 and saw one of the afore mentioned funky trucks. Luckily for me it was the castle truck.