Kishiwada Castel

We crimbed the stairs in Kishiwada Castle, or precisely speaking, of its donjon. The stairs are made of concrete, the windows have glasses, and a part of the castle even is air-conditioned. The third floor exhibits articles left by the owners of the castle, a warlord clan, Okabe. One of the exhibits dates back even to the Sengoku period, a turbulent age in Medieval Japan. The Okabe clan worked for the Imagawa clan in today's Shizuoka, who were defeated by the Takeda clan, which in turn was destroyed by Oda. One of Oda's alliances opened the Tokugawa Shogunate later. The exhibition tells only a little about how the Okabes hopped from one lord to another to survive. The fourth and top floor commands 360 degrees wide views of the Osaka Bay and Izumi-Katsuragi Mountains. The cool sea breeze let us forget the hotness below. Beneath, you can find a large rock garden. According to the castle's brochure, the garden shows "eight battle formation." Young princes might have learned how to make war. Kishiwada Castle is, with no doubt, the nearest one from Kansai Airport. Yet, it doesn't seem they are trying to attract sightseers from abroad. 15 minutes drive from hotels around the airport, it might be a last-minute chance for visitors who missed an opportunity to vist Japanese castles. It is closed at 5p.m. "No entrance after 4p.m." the brochure says. Why did they refurbrish it then? I miss the creaking wooden stairs.