So, I’m actually supposed to be in Gifu now, sightseeing and taking pictures, and of course, buying my postcards. Unfortunately, the typhoon that hit us this weekend derailed those plans. We could have gone, but torrential rain and the possibility of mudslides didn’t sound too appealing when it was easy enough to change our plans. So I’ll be visiting Gifu this coming weekend instead, and meanwhile, I’m going to start talking about some of my favorite postcards in the Gotochi collection: The Castles.
Let’s start with the first I ever visited, waaaay back in 2009 before this postcard even came out (it’s 2010’s version): The beautiful black castle of Matsumoto, Nagano! You can find some info on its history and features, plus opening times and costs, here.
Black Matsumoto Castle with its iconic red bridge
Not only is the moat very photogenic, you can also see the Japan Alps in the background, still snowcapped of course!
Night views of this castle are also really beautiful!
As you can see, I went during cherry blossom season, which was a truly beautiful time to go! The pink flowers/red bridge/black castle combination is a really nice one! At that time, I was still using a point and shoot camera (ah, way back when…) so these pictures don’t do it justice. Matsumoto is actually on the way back from Gifu for us, so I might be able to stop and take some new pictures!
2015.01.20: I’d like to add a interesting video of Matsumoto I recently discovered on youtube. This video, part of NHK’s 5 minute Fudoki program, is an interesting look at the defenses of the castle, including a recent find in the moat! It’s worth a watch!
POSTACOLLECT 