In light of the recent success of my recent success in my previous instalment of 'The real Japan', I've decided to continue showing what Japan means to me through the photography I've found.

The aim of this series of news articles is to represent Japan as a country not often seen through popular media. ie the way it actually is.

The aspect of Japan featured in this instalment are perhaps the most iconic scenes in Japan; her castles. The unique architecture, and picturesque landscape around many (if not all) Japanese castles make such places a must visit for anyone wishing to visit Japan. What some people do not know however is how many there actually are in Japan. Even most Japanese I've spoken to can only name up to 5 off the top of their heads, the most popular being Himeji Jyou [link] (The grandest in Japan), Osaka Jyou [link] (The most visted), Edo Jyou [link] (Located in the center of Tokyo), Nijo jyou [link] (huge gardens in Kyoto) and Matsumoto Jyou [link] (The oldest original un-destroyed castle in Japan (Despite it itself being destroyed 3 times prior the rebuilding efforts)). One can merely look here: [link] for a list of castles in Japan.

I myself really enjoy making a point of visiting as many castles as I can in Japan, every one is different and has it's own soul; much like one would associate with cathedrals.

(from wiki [link] ) Like European castles, the castles of Japan were built to guard important or strategic sites, such as ports, river crossings, or crossroads, and almost always incorporated the landscape into their defence. Though they were built to last, and used more stone in their construction than most Japanese buildings, castles were still constructed primarily of wood, and many were destroyed over the years.

Due to the remoteness of some of the lesser known castles, finding talented Deviant Art users that have actually visited these sites and taken photos has been quite the challenge. As such many of the following castles are of the 'big 5' mentioned earlier, and indeed many are duplicates of the same castle. I've also omitted the castle features that made it into my previous news article.

Enjoy.