I am very behind in relating my traveling experiences... As I was mentioning in my last blog post (Tokyo revisited), during my holiday in Japan I have also visited a few places outside Tokyo.

The most notable one was Matsumoto Castle:

© Bogdan (Help)

© Bogdan (Help)

© Bogdan (Help)

© Bogdan (Help)

Towards the west costs of Japan, under the shade of the Japanese Alps, Matsumoto Castle is one of the last standing original wooden structure of the military architecture of the 16th to 17th century. Due to its appearance is nicknamed Crow Castle.

We visited the castle briefly, reaching it just before the closing time, during the golden hour of the sunset, and by the time we completed the visit, it was already dark. The moat surrounding the keep provided the means for a perfect reflexion in its still waters.

© Bogdan (Help)

© Bogdan (Help)

Matsumoto was actually a detour from the place where we spent a few days: Kusatsu hot-spring resort, one of the most popular onsen (hot springs) resorts nearby Tokyo. The sulphuric hot water comes out in the center of the town, but to a temperature much higher than necessary for bathing and is passed trough several cooling stages before being distributed to the nearby onsen establishments. The water is also used for heating of almost the whole village. Photography of the steaming water is requiring special skills that I do not posses yet, so the pictures are not very representative according to my own opinion.

© Bogdan (Help)

© Bogdan (Help)