I couldn’t believe that there were residents of this Japanese-style castle in Yasugi, Shimane. Additionally, they built this real castle themselves with the exception of mounting its roofs. I found this unique building on a TV show and wanted to visit there. Then, I went to Yasugi to look around its traditional exterior in the spring of 2009. I drove my RX-7 to downtown Yasugi city, but I didn’t know the precise location of the castle with only the information that it existed along the coast. So, I asked a passerby where it was. A lady gave me the right directions and she said, “If you want to have a look around inside, you can ask for the mistress of the castle. She is very kind and will invite you in”. Wow, that was a great tip! A few minutes later, I reached the front of the castle.
In front of the castle, there were a few ladies around the gate. Among the women, I found the mistress of the castle whom I saw on the TV show. So I asked her if I can take photos of the exterior of the castle. She said, “Yes, of course. If you have a time, you can enter our castle and take photos”. What a nice surprise! Firstly, I took pictures of the exterior, which was like a little Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia. Then, I entered the house. Unfortunately, her husband, the real founder of this castle, was in a hospital because of his heart disease; but she explained to me how this castle was built like a building. There were so many steam locomotive drawings in the Japanese-style living room. The founder was a national railroad worker and he had begun to draw them. Additionally, there was a small porcelain kiln in the corner of the garden! He made so much pottery. Surprisingly, he had published his autobiography, and I had fun reading it. She guided me everywhere inside the castle. It was a very impressive experience for me.
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