Fortification fantasy grounds 2
See this article I wrote on ancient fortifications. It helps that I have an interest in fortifications, but most people should be impressed by the stone walls. Touring the well kept gardens allowed me to see the stone-clad earthworks that have survived to the present and they were way larger in scale than anything I was expecting (nice surprise). Photos are generally of the same few places - like a corner guard tower near the front gate.
No one had ever really talked about the defensive earthworks or surviving buildings all that much. It turns out that I enjoyed the visit way more than I expected. Even the epic story of the 47 Ronin started here over a duel. Earthworks reclaimed land from the sea, large defensive earthworks were built along with moats. Under the Shogunate it was heavily expanded and built up. Under the Tokugawa Shogunate, it became the center of their government. It was originally a castle established in the 15th century. There is actually a great deal of history tied up in the Imperial Palace. There are other palace buildings that survive, but it was really the castle that I would have wanted to see rather than the gardens. My main interest in it would have been seeing Edo Castle, which burned down in 1873 and was never rebuilt. The East Gardens had never been high on my priority list as there aren't any fancy gardens or buildings you can tour through. I had never visited the Imperial Palace East Gardens before and decided to give it a whirl. It was a coolish morning, but with beautiful clear skies.
#Fortification fantasy grounds 2 full
On my last day in Tokyo, I pretty much had a full day as I didn't have to be at the airport until five or six PM.