Trip to Kumamoto

While my ship was in Nagasaki, I went on a tour to Kumamoto, Japan. Let me tell you it was amazing! I want to show you some pictures of where I went. I can't post all the pics because I think it would tell me that there were too many, because I think I took about 250 pictures total this day. So anyway, here they are:

The Suizenji Jojuen Garden

"The Suizenji Jojuen Garden represents the 53 Stations of the Tokaido Road. The Fresh springs in the garden release clean, cold water, which flows there from Mt. Aso via underground currents. In 1636 Tadatoshi, the third Lord of Hosokawa, began its construction as a tea retreat, and he also built a temple here for Priest Gentaku. This temple is called Suizenji. This beautiful Momoyama style garden evolved durring the reigns of the fourth and the fifth Lords. In all it took about 80 years to complete. Jojuen was named after a character in a poem written by Tao Yuanming."

Isn't it beautiful? The Hill in the back is called "Mount Fuji," although it most definitely is not, it is supposed to look like it.

This is commonly known as a Bonsia Tree. Amazing isn't she?

One last view of the beautiful Garden before I leave. I kind of wish I could have gone up into a helocopter, so I could take a full picture of the whole park!

Kumamoto Castle

"Kumamoto Castle (熊本城; -jō) is a castle in Kumamoto, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan that has been opened to the public for tours. A large, and in its day, an extremely well fortified Japanese castle. The donjon (castle central keep) is a concrete reconstruction built in 1960, but several ancillary wooden buildings remain of the original castle. The castle was besieged during the Satsuma Rebellion, and was sacked and burned after a 53-day siege.
In nearby San-no-Maru Park is the Hosokawa Gyobu-tei, the former residence of Hosokawa clan, the Higo daimyo. This traditional wooden mansion has a fine Japanese garden located in its grounds. The signature curved stone walls known as musha-gaeshi, as well as wooden overhangs were designed to prevent foes from penetrating the castle. Rock falls were also used as deterrents."

Huge isn't she? I was amazed by the brick walls leading up to the actual building. Can you imagine how long it would have taken to lay every brick?

These were the steps leading up the palace. I could just picture the Japanese Soldiers marching up these stairs to lay siege.

This is the outer gate leading up to the palace-grounds. Huge doors!

Palace grounds. I think the people who built this caslte were pretty paranoid. They had so many defenses. Two sets of walls, so that when one was penetrated, they still had a second one that they could defend. It's amazing to me that it was actually attacked, and captured many times!

I felt kind of sorry for this guy. He had to stand here and let people take pictures of him, and take pictures with him. I didn't want to embarass him anymore, buy going up to him and taking a picture with him. I was content to stand at a distance and take a picture.