Castle Mania

I've become really interested in Japanese castles these days. I visited a number of them in the past, but only recently did I decide to count how many I've been to. And then I had to think about how many I've actually been inside vs. how many I've just seen from the outside.

11 (15 if you count the "outside only" ones) is not bad, I think. But there's a lot more out there.

Most of the castles nowadays are modern reconstructions. Some - like Fukuyama Castle - are pretty shabby concrete shells with second-rate museums inside. (Sorry, Fukuyama, I gotta tell it like it is.) Other reconstructions attempt to recreate the original style of the castle, down to the building methods and materials. Kanazawa Castle is a faithful reconstruction, but it lacks the main keep - the building that most people think of as the castle itself.

There are a handful of original castles still intact - only 12. Himeji Castle is without a doubt the most famous. If you only see one Japanese castle, you have to see this one.

While there's something to be said for authenticity, sometimes original castles are disappointing. Although Hikone Castle has some fantastic grounds and an insanely-popular mascot, the main keep is tiny and boring on the inside. Conversely, Nagoya Castle makes no attempt at an authentic recreation (except for the outside), but the museum is one of the best I've seen in Japan, inside or outside of a castle.

A while back, I bought a deck of cards with a different Japanese castle on each card. When I was on vacation this winter, I got the idea to visit all of them. Most of them are easily accessible from the main train lines, and it gives me a good reason to travel to new places in Japan. I have less than a year left here, so I want to make the most of it.

I whipped up a custom Google Map of all the castles in my deck, plus some others on a list of 100 famous castles. Click the link near the top, or just click here: http://www.invisibletokyo.com/p/japanese-castles.html