The Castle in the Mist: My Return to Tsuyama Castle

#hellohalloween
There are castles that impress, and then there are ruins that haunt. Tsuyama Castle, or more accurately, the Tsuyama Castle Ruins (Kakuzan Park), is the latter. My return visit to this "Gibraltar of San'in" wasn't about seeing something new, but about feeling its history more deeply. With one of Japan's most magnificent stone wall complexes sprawling across a hilltop, it’s a solo traveler's paradise for contemplation and photography.

My Solo Itinerary (Encore Edition):

· Morning – A Walk Through Stone Corridors: I arrived as the morning mist still clung to the hill, giving the ruins an ethereal quality. This time, I didn't just climb to the main bailey. I slowly traced the endless, labyrinthine network of stone walls that form "streets" and "rooms" where samurai residences and gates once stood. I had entire sections of the vast park completely to myself.
· Afternoon – Cherry Blossom Memory & Quiet Lunch: I revisited the famous cherry tree groves, imagining their pink splendor from my previous spring visit, but now appreciating the stark, structural beauty of the bare branches against the stone. I found the same quiet bench overlooking the old castle town and enjoyed a solo bento, this time noticing how the sunlight moved across the different tiers of the fortress throughout the day.
· Evening – The Spirit of the Ruins: As the crowds thinned and the sun began to lower, I sat in the main honmaru (inner bailey) where the keep once stood. The silence was profound, broken only by crows and the wind. It’s in this quietude that the spirit of the castle feels most alive, a ghost of its former martial glory.

Why Tsuyama Castle is Even Better the Second Time:

· Beyond the Panorama: You look past the famous view from the top and start to read the fortress like a map—understanding its layout, its defenses, its logic.
· Seasonal Dialogue: Seeing it in a different season (like autumn with golden ginkgos or winter with a dusting of snow) creates a completely new conversation with the place.
· A Deeper Melancholy: The scale of the ruins hits harder. You truly grasp what was lost when the castle was dismantled, making its absence more powerful than any reconstruction could be.

Tsuyama Castle doesn't give up its secrets easily. It reveals them slowly, in the silence between your footsteps on the stone.

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