castles (Page 3)
From the well-known to the obscure, this year’s annual ranking of top spots has some surprises in store for even the most seasoned travellers.
After months of debate, Nagoya city council approves 50 billion-yen (US$451 million) budget.
The conditions are just right to surround Takeda Castle with a sea of clouds.
Exploring the many ways wood pieces can slot into each other is the most strangely satisfying experience we’ve had today!
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How many of the top 20 most popular Japanese castles (according to TripAdvisor) have you been to?
Extremely talented builder needs neither stone, lumber, nor paper for this mind-blowing project.
Centuries-old earthenware plate gets a special assist from a kitty in becoming an ultra-rare, ultra-cute antique.
Nijo Castle is one of Japan’s hottest tourist destinations…but for a truly unique historical tour, you need this Minecraft recreation based on the original design!
For centuries, Japan has taken pride in the talents of its craftsmen, carpenters and woodworkers included. Because of that, you might be surprised to find that some Japanese castles have extremely creaky wooden floors that screech and groan with each step.
How could such slipshod construction have been considered acceptable for some of the most powerful figures in Japanese history? The answer is that the sounds weren’t just tolerated, but desired, as the noise-producing floors functioned as Japan’s earliest automated intruder alarm.
Over the years, Japan has earned a reputation for its awkward command of English, with results ranging from the perplexing to downright hilarious. The country’s translation screw-ups are so common that they’ve even earned their own collective name, “Engrish.”
But for all the sites that poke fun at Engrish, it’s almost impossible to find one that talks about why it happens. So today we’re offering a bit of explanation along with the laughs, as we look at a sign in Japan that informs English-reading passersby that “Today is under construction.”
It’s time once again for travel website Trip Advisor’s list of the best places in Japan, as chosen by overseas visitors to the country. One of the things that makes Japan such a fascinated place to travel is its extreme mix of historical and modern attractions, both of which are represented in the top 30 which includes shrines, sharks, and super-sized robots.
Japan is home to an enormous number of famous ruins and castles, with fascinating histories that transport us back to an era of clan warfare and old allegiances which remain at the heart of local tales today. As strongholds for the Lords and clans of old Japan, many castles have a commanding view of surrounding lands but none more so than this spectacular castle in Hyogo Prefecture. Often referred to as the Machu Picchu of Japan, and looking every bit like Ghibli’s famous floating castle from the animated movie Castle in the Sky, these ruins are expecting an unprecedented number of visitors this year. And with photos as stunning as these, it’s easy to see why.
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