Japan Travel Guide 2016 - Top things to do in Japan 2016 - Japan trip 2016 - Japan tourism & vacations -
Tourist attractions in Japan
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Japan, known as
Nihon or
Nippon (日本) in
Japanese, is a nation of islands in
East Asia.
See in Japan
===============
Castles
-------------
When most
Westerners think of castles, they naturally think of their own in places like
England and
France. However, Japan too was a nation of castle-builders. In its feudal days, you could find multiple castles in nearly every prefecture.
Original Castles
Because of bombings in
WWII, fires, edicts to tear down castles, etc. only twelve of Japan's castles are considered to be originals, which have donjons that date back to the days when they were still used. Four of them are located on the island of
Shikoku, two just north in the
Chugoku region, two in
Kansai, three in the
Chubu region, and one in the northern
Tohoku region. There are no original castles in
Kyushu, Kanto,
Hokkaido, or
Okinawa.
The original castles are:
Uwajima Castle
Matsuyama Castle
Kochi Castle
Marugame Castle
Matsue Castle
Bitchu Matsuyama Castle
Himeji Castle
Hikone Castle
Inuyama Castle
Maruoka Castle
Matsumoto Castle
Hirosaki Castle
(
Nijo Castle is an original however, it was actually an
Imperial residence rather than a castle, so it is not included on the list of originals)
Reconstructions and
Ruins
----------------------------------------------
Japan has many reconstructed castles, many of which receive more visitors than the originals. A reconstructed castle means that the donjon was rebuilt in modern times, but many of these still have other original structures within the castle grounds. For example, three of
Nagoya Castle's turrets are authentic. Reconstructions still offer a glimpse into the past and many, like
Osaka Castle are also museums housing important artifacts.
Kumamoto Castle is considered to be among the best reconstructions, because most of the structures have been reconstructed instead of just the donjon. The only reconstructed castle in Hokkaido is
Matsumae Castle. Okinawa's
Shuri Castle is unique among Japan's castles, because it is not a "
Japanese" castle; it is from the
Ryukyuan Kingdom and was built with the
Chinese architectural style, along with some original Okinawan elements.
Ruins typically feature only the castle walls or parts of the original layout are visible. Although they lack the structures of reconstructed castles, ruins often feel more authentic without the concrete reconstructions that sometimes feel too commercial and touristy. Many ruins maintain historical significance, such as
Tsuyama Castle, which was so large and impressive, it was considered to be the best in the nation.
Today, the castle walls are all that remain but the area is filled with thousands of cherry blossoms. This is common among many ruins, as well as reconstructions.
Takeda Castle is famed for the gorgeous view of the surrounding area from the ruins.
Gardens
-------------------
Japan is famous for its gardens, known for its unique aesthestics both in landscape gardens and Zen rock/sand gardens. The nation has designated an official "Top Three Gardens", based on their beauty, size, authenticity (gardens that have not been drastically altered), and historical significance. Those gardens are
Kairakuen in
Mito,
Kenrokuen in Kanazawa, and Korakuen in Okayama. The largest garden, and the favorite of many travellers, is actually
Ritsurin Park in Takamatsu.
Rock and sand gardens can typically be found in temples, specifically those of
Zen Buddhism. The most famous of these is
Ryoanji Temple in
Kyoto, but such temples can be found throughout Japan.
Moss gardens are also popular in Japan and
Koke-dera, also in Kyoto, has one of the nation's best. Reservations are required to visit just so that they can ensure the moss is always flourishing and not trampled.
Spiritual Sites
------------------------
Regardless of your travel interests, it's difficult to visit Japan without at least seeing a few shrines and temples. Buddhist and
Shinto sites are the most common, although there are some noteworthy spiritual sites of other religions, as well.
Buddhist
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Buddhism has had a profound impact on Japan ever since it was introduced in the
6th century. Like shrines, temples can be found in every city, and many different sects exist.
Some of the holiest sites are made up of large complexes on mountaintops and include
Mount Koya (Japan's most prestigious place to be buried and head temple of
Shingon Buddhism),
Mount Hiei (set here when Kyoto became the capital to remove Buddhism from politics, the head of the Tendai sect of Buddhism), and
Mount Osore (considered to be the "
Gateway to
Hell", it features many monuments and graves in a volcanic wasteland).
- published: 14 Feb 2016
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