Japanese Castle Explorer - Blog - Latest Comments

Re: Osaka’s Inui Turret

Projekt Kobra🇷🇺 — Thu, 21 Jan 2016 17:55:23 -0000

Hey Dan!..Nice stuff..you seem to have been in Osaka at the same time as me!..I wish I could have met you, since "Osaka Joe" was my favourite place in the city!...(All those times reading Shogun I guess..I was eager to touch it!)

I would have loved to have taken a tour with some folks who appreciated it at much as I do...

Re: Directions and the Chinese zodiac.

leera — Wed, 01 Apr 2015 22:30:46 -0000

So glad to see this explanation. Sorry, nothing substantial to add to this conversation other than the fact that these mashed-up names have also been taken as surnames in Japan. I just finished a conversation with a person named Tatsumi, and when we got on the topic of the kanji used for his name, he gave me a brief description of the etymology similar to the one above. I feel a bit ashamed to say that I have lived in Japan for more than 15 years without noticing or learning this before, but I guess people say, "you learn something everyday" for a reason. Thanks!

Re: Japanese Castle Blueprints

sssss — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 18:39:40 -0000

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Re: A postcard from the edge (of the moat)

VIGILANTE — Sun, 18 Jan 2015 13:11:33 -0000

What is cool to me, is that the smoke represents that these buildings were still being utilized, and with coal or wood at the time the photo was taken!

Re: Arima Kinenkan Exhibition – The life of an Edo Period lord

Alexander — Wed, 07 May 2014 01:57:43 -0000

Thanks for sharing this awesome post! But what happened to the Arima clan before the dismantle of the castle in 1871?

Re: The Nagoya Imperial villa

Max Tang — Mon, 24 Mar 2014 00:40:41 -0000

Mate - I think you probably know this by now - but back-in-the-day, they read Kanji from right-to-left.

I reckon late-Meiji.

c. 1910 thereabouts?

Cheers.

Re: Nagoya Castle – by the moat

polarbearasia — Thu, 22 Aug 2013 20:31:39 -0000

Hi Dan, I really enjoy your website. I find it informative and interesting. I've planned many castle visits using the information here.

I was curious where you find all these wonderful, old postcards. Do you go to second hand shops or something?

Take care!

Re: A path less travelled

fortress manager — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 11:53:42 -0000

Ho! I'm Korean. Kii-jō is look's like that Korean peninsula & Manchu style mountain fortress wall.
Korean fortress wall have twe deferent style. Hi-top round style(small size) & all valley used style.(large size).
Kii-jō is large size style(just guess...^^) Well... Thanks your good working.

Re: Akashi Castle video

guest — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 14:23:17 -0000

Great Video ^ ^

Re: A chat about Ogi Domain

Pool O'Zen — Sun, 05 Aug 2012 21:34:10 -0000

Very Cool,

Moving up! Going for the Audio Dub vs. Live commentary! Glad I stopped in to see the video.

Pool

Re: Ōsaka’s Megaliths

Andrew Chapman — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 18:43:06 -0000

I must say that like yourself it was the Osaka Castle surrounds that amazed me most the mammoth stones and huge moats were the standout. While the outside of the Castle looks beautiful the interior was a little disappointing after going to Himeji. But I cant complain I still loved it.

Re: Up a mountain

Daniel — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 09:33:26 -0000

Well, it was the memory of that visit that inspired this one. It's a top spot.

I've really not been doing much with the Japanese Castle Explorer of late. I think it was the combination of not being about to travel to castles and the fact that I'd been doing it for so long. The cars thing (wasabicars.com) makes a nice change. I "happen upon" interesting cars all the time. The expense is minimal and I still get to play with websites, videos, etc...

I will get back to castles at some point. I've still got a million pictures from Kagoshima to update!

Re: Up a mountain

Thepoolofzen — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 00:26:10 -0000

Well, there you go making me jealous again! What an awesome afternoon hike. I have fond memories of visiting Kiizan at the crack of dawn, with a good buddy of mine who lives there!

It has been a while since I've stopped in to see your site. I need to come by and pester you more often!

Take care! Everyone looks good!

Jya!

Re: Up a mountain

Adelaide Ben1 — Tue, 01 May 2012 04:18:06 -0000

Nothing like having a mountain refuge where the only way is down... but on the plus side, the enemy would be too busy puffing to make much of a fight of it. I really do hope to make it down to Fukuoka one of these days!... though I'm not I'll be taking the walk up Kii-zan

Re: Seek and ye shall, or shall not find

Timothy Takemoto — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 22:06:04 -0000

Please would you tell me how you feel about stamps and castle ruins?

I was of the probably mistaken impression that going to flat castle ruins and collecting stamps was a particularly Japanese preoccupation. I want to see a castle - so if there is no castle I don't really want to go, and a stamp is not something that I want at all. I see that I could get into it especially if I were the maker of a brilliant, popular site like this but at first at least my heart would not be in it.

Do you have a blog post or an article about your feelings regarding ruins and stamps?

Here is what others have had to say about ruins, which have been popular for a long time.
"Basho' choice of ato was itself derived from the medieval Japanese
tradition of travel diaries, wherein the significance of a place was
determined by its history - its location in time, rather than by
geography. (Hudson, 1999, p1)
"Consciousness of a place brought forth by antecedence." Plutschow, 1981, p22 (in Hudson, 1999, p1-2)

Hudson, M. (1999). Ruins of identity: ethnogenesis in the Japanese Islands. University of Hawaii Press.
Plutschow, H. (1981). Four Japanese Travel Diaries of the Middle Ages. Cornell Univ East Asia Program.

Re: A Kagoshima wish

Letesha — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 18:48:21 -0000

i world wish for:
L-let
O-our
V-violence
E-end

PEACE!

Re: Sakurajima bang

Duncan Virostko — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 12:49:36 -0000

Probably the reason you didn't hear a bang was due to a phenomenon known as " Acoustic Shadow" . Due to either topographical or climatic reasons, the sound of the blast failed to propagate. This phenomenon is not very well understood, but has been observed frequently during wartime, especially in the American Civil War. I'll bet either air currents, humidity, or something to do with the terrain about Sakurajima was responsible for the creation of an Acoustic shadow.

Re: I’ve been a very busy boy

Daniel — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:42:53 -0000

Mr LaSpina, I appreciate your continued support and encouragement.

Re: I’ve been a very busy boy

Daniel — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:41:26 -0000

Thanks Paul!

Re: I’ve been a very busy boy

David Laspina — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 19:50:24 -0000

Super impressive!!

Re: I’ve been a very busy boy

furinkazan — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:45:47 -0000

Thank you for your hard work.
Btw, happy year of the Dragon!!

Re: I’ve been a very busy boy

Daniel — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 08:08:26 -0000

I think you have to be kinda nuts. I was actually toying with the idea of including hours spent and money earnt in the stats section. Neither are enticing. Hey, it's not all about money of course.

Re: I’ve been a very busy boy

Sixmats — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 06:56:51 -0000

Congratulations. I need a project like this.

Re: Seek and ye shall, or shall not find

Daniel — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 07:59:52 -0000

Now, that would be a nice find!

Re: Seek and ye shall, or shall not find

Thepoolofzen — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:48:24 -0000

I thought I was going to see Tsuba in the gutter or ruins in the trees! I always get tripped up on these photo's!

Better luck next time on that stamp buddy!