熊本城 – Kumamoto Castle

[Original Travel Date: 1/12/2014]

As part of our trip to Kyushu, we made sure to be able to visit Kumamoto Castle, known for being one of the most impressive castles in Japan.  Although most of its buildings are reconstructions, including the castle keep itself, the level of reconstruction is considerable high quality (unlike Osaka’s concrete-cast version).  The inside of the castle keep has been designed to house a two-story museum about the history of Kumamoto Castle and its past inhabitants.

Aside from the castle keep, the rest of the castle grounds is very large and although reconstructions, a lot of effort has been put into creating an authentic, complete castle complex.  Buildings are continually being added to the grounds.

A particularly unique building is the Honmaru Goten Palace, which is a reconstruction of the former living quarters of the daimyo that would normally reside in Kumamoto Castle.