Nothing too serious for this post; and also no Engrish. I hope that hasn’t disappointed anyone. I just wanted to share some of the signs I’ve seen around Japan during my castle exploring activities. They’ll start off pretty innocuous & get steadily more… interesting.

The two signs above are both from inside the main tower of Kokura Castle. I like them because of what they are not. They could have gone with the standard, bought ones, but these guys are Samurai! Plus the oblivious smoker makes me smile.

Ōtomo Sōrin built Usuki Castle in 1562. The castle was built on a small, rice-grain-shaped island that pointed out to sea. Nowadays, the island has long since been swallowed up by land reclamation that has put the castle in the centre of town, its elevation providing shelter in the event of a tsunami.

Admit it. We all want to try climbing the Ishi-gaki. There are no excuses though, not even for the illiterate. This one is located at the base of Kumamoto‘s main tower. I wonder if this was one of the ways they kept ninjas out back in the day. Maybe while they were reading the sign giant red shurikens would rain down from above.

Step away from the giant poodle. No, as you can probably guess, it isn’t castle related, I just wanted to share it. Has anyone seen any odd/funny signs? Engrish is well and truly allowed in the comments section below. Why not share?