Matsumoto Castle, Matsumoto, Nagano, Part II

Continuing on with our tour of Matsumoto Castle in Matsumoto, Nagano.

Lining up to go to the 4th floor. Quite a view, huh?

More treacherous staircases with ceiling beams hanging so low even I could reach up and touch them. They did put up a caution sign, though I'm sure some folks got a head-bump anyway. A., for example, is about 6'2", and it's both funny and maddening to hear him curse in Spanish every time he bumped his forehead. And he did. A lot ^.^"

Nooks and crannies to peek down below.

No, that's not a bird's nest you're looking at ^.^ It's actually a shrine. See descriptions below.

We were coming back down to the 4th floor when C. snapped a photo of me and A. shortly before we all had to duck under that beam at right.

The castle Lord's chamber. Zero privacy as you can see.

Then again, right below the Lord's chamber is this dark and empty 3rd floor used for storage. So I guess there was some privacy after all. May be.

More artifacts on display on the lower floors.

The moon-viewing wing on the 1st floor. I could totally camp out here.

Even more steep stairs to exit the castle.

View from the side, with a pair of swans by the castle moat.

Looks straight out of a movie set, huh?

Not sure where this back gate leads to, perhaps another museum/exhibition room? Too bad it was closed and we couldn't go much further beyond the gate.

More picturesque views just walking around the moat. Gorgeous day. Gorgeous place.

The lotus pond by the red bridge.

A couple of blocks from the castle is a well-known local ice cream shop (forgot to take photos, sorry!). Too bad all but one flavor were sold out by the time we got there at around 5ish, so we were kicking ourselves for not trying it earlier on our way to the castle. Around the corner from the ice cream shop was this sitting area where they'd used wooden packing pallets as benches and tables.

Found this nice little corner at the Matsumoto Station.

See my previous Matsumoto Castle, Matsumoto, Nagano post.