The Matsue castle, built 408 years ago, is one of the 12 Japanese castles still in the original form. It is said that it has an auspicious nickname, Chidori-jō, the “Plover castle".

The reason is that the plover is a symbol of longevity in Japan because the bird’s cry onomatopoeia, chiyo, is a homonym for “chiyo” 千代, a word meaning “1000 generations".

Matsue Castle, Matsue, Shimane

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Yesterday’s Japan Photo: Izumo