Some places have already made it into my photos several times. However, this is not because there are no other motifs available here in Japan, but for the simple reason that these places deserve to be photographed again and again and from a wide variety of perspectives. And different seasons also create different moods, all of which need to be captured.

And that's probably why I've photographed the old samurai castle Tsurugo-jo in Aizu Wakamatsu quite a few times already and I am sure I will do so again on my next visit there. Well, to be honest, this castle isn't really that old. After it was destroyed around a century and a half ago at the end of the Boshin War, the city government of Aizu-Wakamatsu decided to rebuild the castle around a hundred years later. Although less emphasis was placed on wood and more on concrete, the result is still impressive. After the castle was recently renovated once more, the landmark of Aizu Wakamatsu now shines out at visitors in a magnificent and splendid white color.

The last time we were there was in late fall, and even though the weather wasn't really on our side, we had surely planned a tour of the castle complex. From the outside, the castle looks much more impressive and I have already done quite a few rounds here.

And each time I am delighted anew and discover a few aspects that I hadn't noticed before. As I said, this may have been due to the time of year or the viewpoint, but at least I now have a few more pictures in my growing collection.

It's really fun to walk around the castle walls and look at it from different positions. Even though my pictures may make it seem like I was there almost all alone, in fact the opposite is the case. Tsuruga-jo is popular with both local and foreign travelers. But I always seem to manage quite well to banish the other visitors from my photos, which is perhaps what I'm most pleased about myself.

Well, I never get bored of this castle. Of course I'd like to visit a few other samurai forts, but unfortunately it's a bit far to get there and requires a lot of planning. Well luckily I've already been able to visit a few other castles during my travels here in the Land of the Rising Sun, which have already made it into this blog some while ago.

Let's see what the next place will be. At the moment I'm guessing Tsuruga-jo once more, but I'm happy to be surprised otherwise. Wherever it may be, I will certainly enjoy this visit and have something to report afterwards. So be sure to check back here soon to make sure you don't miss anything...