Genthar.net: Day 7 Photos

Okayama is one major stop north of Hiroshima. Of note is Okayama Castle, sometimes known as Crow Castle due to it's coloration. This castle was actually owned by the government for a while, who couldn't afford the upkeep, and actually tore down portions of the castle (presumably to prevent people from being injured due to the buildings being in disrepair). Later it was mostly destroyed in WWII, then rebuilt using concrete, (they even put in an elevator). The exterior is faithful to the original, just the interior is modern. This castle also houses a small but impressive collection of arms and armor, but unfortunatley they do not allow pictures of the exhibits for the most part.

The contrast with the gold colored accents is quite striking. Here is a closeup of one of the accents. It's a carp. It was believed that putting symbols of water and or carp on the buildings would help prevent fire.

The view from the top of Okayama castle is quite nice. It overlooks the Korakuen gardens, which is considered to be one of the 3 most beautiful gardens in Japan. This is another stitched photo.

Of course we went to the gardens, and they are quite beautiful. Again, given that it's early fall, there are no flowers. Unfortunately since we're very early in fall, the leaves have not begun to change color yet either. Still, it's a very relaxing and beautiful place.