Cultural sightseeing in Japan. What to visit - museums, temples, castles and palaces

Location on the map:   Interesting facts: » The curved flooring above the moat leads to the white castle on the high hell. Originally, it was built as a military post.
» The road winds among multiple defense towers that were built by different owners. You can see the names of warlords on the arms in the castle walls and roof.
» The hedged buildings with branches give an impression that the main building of the castle moves away.
» Himeji Castle (1333) is a five-level building. There are rooms with curved roofs at several higher levels.
» Slopes, the foundation of the building, and the first floors are stone and cemented with oil-based paint.
» Everyone must take off shoes at the entrance. The interior is wooden. Everything - the floor, wall panels, partition walls, whitewashed walls - represents austerity. There are armors and helmets with horns along the walls.
» There are triangular and rectangular oval loopholes, through which thousands of samurai could target lost enemies from three sides. The temple consists of 83 buildings.
» Its name “White Heron” reflects the resemblance of its shape with a bird’s silhouette.
» The lines «…the landscape is reflected in a drop and exists until it drips» conveys the magnificence of the old building.

» Several buildingы of the Imperial Palace were built in 1855. Original constructions were destroyed in a fire. Almost a thousand journeymen reconstructed them.
» One of the palace, “Omya”, is a holiday home for the members of the Royal Family visiting Kyoto.
» The territory of the Palace is protected by long massive white walls with brown faded beams. There are 6 gates. The complex is 1 300 m long and 700 m wide.
» The free zone is available for tourists. Alleys are covered with gravel. In the park, you can see pines, cherry trees, and maples.
» One of the palaces includes the audience hall. There is a monarch’s room in the other one. There is also the Empress’s Room and the Study Room.
» The Imperial Palace saw 28 generations of rulers living here.
» The rooms are separated by sliding panels. On the partition walls, you can see pictures of flowers and animals and images from Lives of the Saints.
» All the constructions of the palace have its functions: the refectory, prayer rooms, the meeting room, household buildings, and warehouses.
» Roof ridges have the shape of arms and depict chrysanthemums.

» The Kyoto National Museum is a red brick building. Its total area is 50 thousand m2.
» The new building built in 1966 houses permanent collections including pieces of Asian arts. 12 000 exhibits are placed into three sectors. 230 exhibits are national Japanese treasures.
» The collection includes exhibits that have been kept in temples, royal palaces, and personal houses before. There are 200 000 photos.
» The showroom is divided into three sections. The first one, “beaux-arts”, presents sculptures, paintings, and calligraphy. The second section, “handcraft”, presents ceramic items, woven fabrics, and home-made lacquer and metal works. Tea cups, Japanese chawan, are very attractive. They are covered with glaze and were made in the 12th century. The third section is dedicated to archeology and archeological relics.
» Besides, there is the Meiji Kotokan Hall (the tomb of the imperial family) in the territory of the museum. It is a small tea house where you can see the garden with fountains, stone statues of Buddha, Korean stone sculptures, and how tea is made in accordance with age-old traditions.

» Not only Japanese, but also foreign pieces of art are kept in the Osaka Museum located on Nakanoshim Island.
» Three floors of the building are situated under the water. The unusual construction was built due to the lack of space in the megapolis.
» The building is sealed, has three-layer walls, and is 22 m in the earth. It has been constructed for five years.
» The first level is glazed completely. There is a restaurant, a children’s room, and a shop. The second basement floor houses the collection of pieces of modern art. The third floor is the gallery of contemporary paintings.
» If you go up the stairs, you will see works of the Spanish painter, the American sculptor, and the Japanese artist. The upper levels of the building have an unusual avant-garde design. Wall panels are made of metal tubes. According to the architect’s plan, the exterior of the building should resemble shaking cane.
» The museum rents 13 m2. The collection of the second half of the 20th century includes over 5 thousand exhibits.
» The official name of the building is “National Museum of Fine Arts”. The museum belongs to the Japanese Ministry of Education.

» The National Museum of Nature and Science is able to depict the evolution of living organisms on Earth, ecosystems, and modern technology.
» All museum visitors have an opportunity to conduct interactive science experiments.
» The museum has two galleries, the Global gallery devoted to the planet in general, and the Japanese gallery. Galleries are located in different buildings.
» The museum is of six floors, where visitors can independently carry out experiments in physics and interactively study the life of the forest. Rooftop Global Gallery is a garden with about 160 species of herbs used by man and umbrellas opening automatically, when people are approaching.
»  The building of the Japanese gallery has a 3D-cinema with a viewing angle of 360 degrees.

» The building was built in 1626. The castle is the shelter of Kyoto rulers. The name of the castle is similar to the name of the road where it is located.
» You can enter the complex only through the gate on the eastern side. The territory is fenced with stone walls and ponds. There is a Japanese garden with a pond, rocks, and pines growing on islets.
» The inner area is protected by several rings.
» The park is famous for cherry trees growing here. They bloom by the end of April. Maples and ginko (relict) trees make the landscape more beautiful.
» The castle includes several separate constructions. They are linked with hallways. They are distinguished by a squeaky floor with special covering that squeaks when coming into contact with something.
» 33 luxurious rooms are tiled with special mats. The rooms are separated by sliding doors with colorful patterns. The walls in the conference room are decorated with painted herons and fancy flowers. Living rooms feature pictures with sleeping sparrows against the black-and-white background.
» The collection of 3 thousand paintings is kept here.
» The guards' rooms are so disguised that it is impossible to see them inside the paper walls.

» The place where the castle was built in 1598 is bloody, as the Buddhist temple was burnt by monks not to deliver it to the enemy.
» The locality is called “Osaka”, “a high hill” or “a slope”. It is here that the Japanese ruler decided to build his residence as the symbol of his greatness.
» Every day, about 30 thousand people were driven to this place.
» Construction materials were collected all over the country. Stones were taken from the walls of Buddhist temples and monasteries and ledgers were taken from old graves. One giant stone is 5.5 m high. It has a diameter of 11.7 m and weighs 140 tons. Stones are melded with the fill of melted lead. The building had been built for 3 years.
» The five-level tower is 58 meters high. The castle seems to be impregnable but entertainment events are often held here.
» The interior of some rooms is completely made of gold.
» The natural element of fire destroyed the building. The citadel had lain in ruins for three centuries.
» The castle was restored in 1931. Iron was used instead of wood. Its total area is 1 km2.
» The main tower serves as a museum. There is an observation platform on the seventh floor.

» You can reach the Osaka Maritime Museum through the underwater tunnel that is situated 15 km from the shore.
» The building of the shape of the silver dome is 40 meters high (four floors) and has a diameter of 80 m. It is located right on the water. It is upheld by reinforced concrete pillars with steel hoods. The weight of the building is 1 200 tons.
» It has a comfortable temperature regardless of the weather. 15-mm glass withstands the water pressure and gets opaque in the sun. The museum consists of blocks: an entrance pavilion, a tunnel (its length is 60 m and width is 15 m), and a building. The tunnel is not illuminated enough to give the impression that you go under the water.
» The institution has received a special prize for “structural perfection”.
» The museum is proud of the exact life-sized copy of the wooden merchant ship of the 19th century. You can see it from the inside.
» The artifacts dedicated to maritime trade development are also of great value. Exhibits have been chosen based on the maritime theme.
» There is an outdoor observation platform and two halls where you can watch 3D films on maritime issues.
» You can show your skills in sailing on the stimulator yacht.