Shrines & Castles

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2023_Blog 16_Japan



April 5 Port of Call: Aburatsu, Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan – Weather: 63°F/17°C – Intermittent light rain – Wind 18.5 mph.



Today’s excursion took us first to Udo Jingu Shrine and then to Obi Castle. The brochure description of the access to the shrine made it sound as though one had to walk on a narrow rocky ledge along the seashore and navigate oneself into a tight cave. The reality was quite different. Though there were many steps to climb, I counted over 200, the path was wide, with gravel sections and pavement, and well-marked. The shrine was tucked into a cave, but the cave itself was spacious and accommodated the shrine and several other small structures. Due to the excessive number of steps B opted to stay behind in the parking lot area and let me do the climbing.

On our drive to Obi Castle which was our second stop for today we once again passed quite close to the ocean and had an opportunity to view the rock formations that look like an old-fashion washboard.

Obi Castle suffered the same fate as many other historical structures. It was demolished during Japan’s move to modernization in the late 19^th century. Fortunately for us a number of those structures have been rebuilt to provide us with an example of what they were like in their prime.

Surrounding the castle grounds there were a number of houses with tranquil gardens built for the Samurai retainers. Castles were built on the high ground, so climbing was once again the order of the day.

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