karastu-jo

our first japanese castle. . .

karatsu-jo is a rebuilt replica of the castle that once was. it sits atop a hill in the middle of the city and provides an awe inspiring view of the surrounding town and harbor.

we arrived just before dusk, and were unfortunately too late to tour the interior. as the sun set behind a soup of clouds, we toured the grounds and watched the ocean grow darker and blend into the sky. we discussed the best ways to approach the castle if we were ninjas coming to avenge our families and assassin the king. by sea or land? hmmm. . .

although the castle itself is quite small by western standards, the grounds are wide and tiered and beautiful. with lots of gardens, yards, benches, and two fuji (wisteria) canopies covering nearly an eighth of an acre each, it is easy to the see the japanese reverence for 'the nature.'

the addition of a couple in brightly colored nylon tracksuits running up and down the stairs and around the grounds in contorted figure eight patterns reminded us that we weren't ninjas. every time they swished by we were, as we are so often, reminded of the strangeness of modern day japan and the inspiration everywhere for epic video games. (see zelda, the ocarina of time)