After all these months, i still get the photos in the wrong order. This is the interior of Inuyama castle, which is the honourable 'oldest castle in japan'. it is all wood, and the main keep was the only building not destroyed by the big earthquake of 1891. every beam and plank is a national treasure. it was built in the 16th century, which makes this castle not as old as you may have thought the oldest castle in japan would be. many old castles were destroyed by wars and earthquakes. this is the weaponry, where all the spears and swords and things would be stored on the shelves.
Mandy wondered how they got up and down these steps when they were in a hurry to flee or attack. Inuyama castle was built by the guy who, according to what i read, unified feudal Japan. he was a pretty big deal.
Here's the view from the top. we could see for miles in all directions, which is what you want when you build a watchtower. we saw enemies approaching a day's ride away. Ha ha ha!
there's Mandy, deliberating about how to deal with the prisoners we caught from that enemy city.
Here, Mandy is doing a quick repair job of a fallen 1000lb beam. she seems to be handling it quite well. i'll just keep taking photos.
we made the prisoners perform some stunts in the town square. it was all deliciously humiliating for them. Ha ha ha!
Then we visited the hometown Don Jon, Nagoya castle, which is not as old, but is much bigger. This week is the Obon holiday, which is the time when Japanese people remember their ancestors and visit their hometowns. It is also the time, after which, if you swim in the ocean, you are violating the governments stern recommendation to not swim, lest you be dragged into the depths by the departed souls. In Japan, there are some interesting beliefs, but i think only the older generation actually believes them.
Japanese festivals are fun, and you can get a huge variety of foods to snack on. There was dancing and traditional drumming. Fun was had by all. and then we went home.
James and the Beast!
Night view. We climbed from 8pm until 4am, and when we looked down on the city it felt like we were looking from an airplane. Compared to the world's tallest peaks, Fuji isn't even on the list, but it's still high enough to feel like you've left the earth.
Here we are, James and I, at the windy, freezing summit, with all the other masses of tourists. The number of tourists who climb this mountain make the accomplishment feel a bit weak.
As we descended, the clouds eventually gave way to sunlight, and we could see the sharp cloud line, as if there was a cap of cloud around the mountain that didn't want to touch it.
A view from just below the summit, looking up at all the people.
We got below the initial cloud and could see another layer of puffies far below.
This is a "tori-i", which is a gateway to a shrine. Fuji has the highest one in Japan.
It finally warmed up on the way down. We were so cold at the top!
One last look at the beast on the drive home.
