Takezaki Castle Ruins Observatory A Cherry-Blossom Walk to a Castle-Shaped Lookout

As I walked along the stone path, a white building appeared beyond the cherry blossoms on my right. Its layered roofs gave it the shape of a castle. “Let’s take it a little slower until we get to the top,” I said to my friend, and we kept comparing the flowers with the rooftops.

The path curves ahead alongside a log fence. Clipped greenery and rocks line both sides, and through gaps in the cherry branches, the tiled roof grows a little larger with every step. The walk there is turning into a springtime highlight all on its own.

Holding the strap of my little bag, I looked up at the roof once more. I’d come planning to photograph the blossoms, but I wanted to take in the path and the building together, too.

This is a 3-story observatory modeled on Takezaki Castle. Floor 1 houses a museum of fishing gear, and floors 2 and 3 are observation decks. Learning about the history of Takezaki Castle, built during the Nanboku-chō period, makes me look forward even more to seeing the sea from this castle-shaped observatory.

Apparently, the view stretches all around from the observation decks, including across the Ariake Sea. After our walk along the cherry-blossom path, my friend and I said we’d head up to see the sea. I like moving from blossoms right beside us to the water stretching into the distance.

At lunch, I’d love to try Tara’s famous Takezaki crab. It’s a kind of swimming crab known as gazami, and you can enjoy it in all sorts of ways, from boiled crab to crab rice cooked in a pot. I want to take my time on the spring stroll, then make choosing what to eat part of the day’s fun.