Castles

​Our first castle of this trip, and there are bound to be many more, was Tsurugajo Castle in Aizuwakamatsu in Fukushima Prefecture.

It's a beautiful imposing building  started in 1384 but was completely rebuilt in 1965 as it was damaged during the Boshin Civil War and subsequently demolished. It has a long and warlike history largely because the area was an important strategic position for controlling Eastern Japan.

Perhaps because it is a rebuild the interior is light and has a number of exhibits and a lot of information about its warlike past.

It cost just over £3 to get into the castle but access to the grounds is free.for a small extra cost you can visit the tea rooms.