Matsumoto Castle.

First today, a visit to Matsumoto Castle - sometimes called Crow Castle due to its black exterior.

It dates back to the 16th century and is the oldest wooden castle in Japan.

As with all these castles, shoes must be removed before entering. They were all built for defence therefore they were designed to make it as difficult as possible for attackers.

This also makes it difficult for tourists, the main problem is the stairs are very high and very steep. Quite a few of our group elected not to go up.

Although the tower looks like it has five floors from the outside, it actually has six. The third floor (the dark room) is where warriors stayed during wartime.

It was by far the best so far because there were many showcases on each floor, many featuring firearms and ammunition.Read more