The castle of Okayama was among the few that survived the castle dismantling that took place after the Meiji Restauration. Unfortunately, its buildings were severely damaged by the bombings at the end of the WWII, and today there’s only one original surviving tower, Tsukimi yagura, the “Moon viewing turret".

As the name indicates, the Tsukimi yagura was used during the Tsukimi moon-viewing festival, but the two-story tower was also a military facility, used to survey the nearby Asahi River.

Tsukimi yagura, Okayama Castle, Okayama

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Yesterday’s Japan Photo: Japanese traditional architecture, Hirairi-zukuri