Konichiwa, Japan: Oh Odawara, why did we not know ya?

We had an hour and a half between trains in Odawara, and so shoved bags in a a locker and set out to have a look at the Odawara castle.

I had never even heard of the Odawara castle - it never came up in our research, and it is only being in the region that it has been noticed. And noticed and noticed - it is one of the most pictured site of the area it seems and so our curiosity was piqued.

It was a lovely day, and seagulls screamed along with the ravens in this seaside city. Ancient pine trees soared above cherry blossoms white and pink against the blue sky. The crowds were out, as it is the spring holiday and many people from all over Japan as well as the world come to this place, as it is in between Tokyo and Hakone with its Mount Fuji views. An hour and a half is pretty much all you need to spend in Odawara, but that time could be put to very good use. It is easy to find the route, as there are hints along the street that help direct the way.

As you enter the gate, lanterns follow the route of blossoming trees.

Then you pass the formal opening gate and there it is.

The original castle was built in the mid-15th century, but soon fell into the hand of one of the family tribes during what is known in Japan as the Warring States Era. This era lasted more than a hundred years, so I am glad not to have been born then. In the end, this particular family clan was one of the last holdouts, and when the castle fell in 1590, Japan was reunified.

The Warring States Era kept the castle better than the more peaceful unified eras after. first of all, there was a massive earthquake in the early 1700s that toppled the place, although it was quickly rebuilt. About 150 years later, it felt into disrepair and was dismantled and sold off in pieces. The earthquake of 1923 took down what was left. In the early 1960s, it stated to receive its present incarnation in stages, with the most recent stage being one of the gates in 2009, with more to come. This has and is being achieved using old drawings and plans, and excavating the foundations. And just to make sure, concrete was used.

construction technique - before concrete

Inside is an extremely good museum, highlighting chronological history as each flight of stairs is attained, until one gets to the top of the tower and looks out on all the land that used to be part of this complex, some of it still controlled by nature, but most of it built on, including the honking big train station about 1 kilometre away. Small birds nest in the upturned roof and cheap at us as we walk underneath.