2nd Trip To Sannohe Castle

So, it's been a while. Sorry about that. I've been really busy getting Aaron set up and showing him around town. Hopefully we'll have adventures soon, so I'll have more fodder for this blog. In any case, I got bugged by almost everyone I know to update this, so here ya go! On October 17th, Chloe came to visit us here in Sannohe. Chloe is Joe's girlfriend, with Joe being one of the other ALTs here in Sannohe. He teaches at the main elementary school in town, and most JETs know us as male/female versions of each other, since we have almost identical taste in games, music, humor, etc. Anyways, Chloe came down to our little town, so we all went together to the castle park to show her around. I've been before with Yasuko, my supervisor, but this time we actually went INSIDE the museum, which was awesome. Last time I went it was closed, which made me sad, since the museum is actually inside the castle building, and I wanted to look around. In any case, enjoy the following pictures, complete with witty and refreshing commentary from yours truly! :D

I don't know the Japanese name for it, but this is essentially a palanquin. Two strong manly men carried this on their shoulders, while a noble lady sat inside and was touted around town. Apparently said noble lady was also very tiny, since I could maybe get my left leg in this thing. If I squeezed.... It's very old though, which is neat.

This thing apparently separated the peels from fruit that was tossed into it. Or something like that, according to Joe's translation. I believe him though, he's forgotten more kanji than I've ever known.

Speaking of Joe, apparently villagers in Sannohe foretold of his coming in years past and long forgotten. They foresaw, and in preparation weaved the flag of Joe's people to welcome him. :)

These things are amazing, they are hair ornaments made out of bone or something. These were actually in Japanese noblewomen's hair a few hundred years ago or so. They are incredibly beautiful in person.

Weapons! The top picture has a really old gun and some helmets used during battle, and the second picture has a short katana in it, I forget the actual name.... I think it's a nodachi?... Whatever, it cuts people, and I want it. >:(


Japanese warlord armor sets! Can't get cooler than that. These and the palanquin reinforce my idea that ancient Japanese were really, really tiny. These are, however, still awesome.

Unfortunately the glare from the glass makes this picture a bit hard to see, but basically these are woven dragon room screen separator thingies.... I was about 5 seconds away from stealing this and putting it in my living room.

The back gate entrance into the castle compound. Complete with the back of Joe and Chloe's heads.

I saved the best part for last. There are three levels in the Sannohe castle museum, and you can go all the way up to the top floor. The top has nothing on display, just some chairs you can sit in, and windows all the way around, so you can sit and admire the view. And what a view..... enjoy the video. That's my entire town basically right there. Until next time!