I am very interested in Japanese history, and this includes castles and the men who built them.
Oftentimes when we visit a castle there are a group of reenactors who add a bit of local color and charm to the experience.
We visited Kumamoto Castle in late October, and I was astounded by the size of the castle and the surroundings. Kato Kiyomasa must have been a formidable samurai. We met two of his "vassals," who gladly posed with us.
We also met the legendary swordsman, Miyamoto Musashi. "Sir Miyamoto" happened to speak English, and we had a conversation with him.
It turned out he was from Van Nuys, California, and he had returned to Japan to care for his elderly parents. We had once lived within an hour's drive of each other, only to meet thousands of miles away on the lovely island of Kysuhu, Japan.
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Kumamoto Castle
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