Right – the few people I know who’ve been to sumo (all Americans) loved it, enough for some to plan next trip around it. And I agree castles are similar. Still, to me, there is something special about being able to see the preserved interiors of Himeji Castle, as the samurais serving in the castle had seen. So I hope Rich can do both!
FYI, for anyone going to Himeji Castle, it has a dedicated area for harakiri (also called seppuku) – ritualistic (and honorable) suicide by a samurai – that is easy to miss for an English speaker.
The area is called Harakiri Maru (“belly-cutting circle”), on the tour route past the castle building. It’s not open to the public but you can see it from the gun ports on the walk path above it.
Perhaps understandably, the castle doesn’t actively promote it, and the signs for it in English says “Harakiri Maru (Building for defense),” which seems to be an attempt at avoiding attention of casual tourists. But it’s thought-provoking to see it, knowing what happened there (and that the castle has s a dedicated area for it – so, harakiri must not have been a rare thing?)
That sounds like a great trip you’ve got in progress, Daniel! I enjoyed both Shirakawa-go and Takayama, though that was nearly 20 years ago.
Random musings:
As many locals and tourists alike have noticed, tourism in Japan has gone up a LOT over the years, even since 2018, let alone 2005. Having just visited in 2025, in places like Ginza in Tokyo, I thought, “Whoa, there are a lot of tourists here, almost too many.” But, there I was contributing to the count…
Even in lesser-visited areas, where once my wife and I might have been the only foreigners on a bus or in a particular place, these days we’re likely to spot at least one or two other non-Japanese folks. Thankfully, so many areas still preserve authentic Japanese feel and essence despite the increase in tourism.
One recent new discovery for us was Kusatsu, a delightful little onsen town. Although there were some foreign tourists there, of course, it was also obviously a very popular Japanese tourist destination. It always feel fun to join Japanese folks in enjoying their own culture and sites.
Most locals seem very understanding of the mixed blessing of tourism. They know it helps the place and country, and typically all they ask is that we foreigners at least try to behave, which often takes little more than using 1-2 Japanese phrases and avoiding being overly loud or obnoxious. (I’m sure I have no idea how many embarrassing things I’ve accidentally done, but the humbling thing is how gracious people are.) Few things make me feel more uncomfortable than being around an overly rude foreigner who ignorantly expects Japanese customs and people to conform to their (embarrassingly but typically American) expectations.
Just a quick update. It took almost 30 minutes of constant refreshing but we were able to get two tickets to the first day of the sumo tournament in Osaka! Very excited. Now just need to figure out what time of day we will be able to get there.
This may have been mentioned before (or well-known anyway) but, if not, early March falls within Japanese plum (“ume”) blossom season (about February to mid-March, depending on the area and year).
Though totally overshadowed by cherry blossoms that follow in a few weeks, plum blossoms are more durable and just as beautiful. They are an important cultural touchstone as the harbinger of spring, and also as the source of pickled plums (“umeboshi”), an essential ingredient in Japanese cuisine.
Plum trees are not nearly as ubiquitous as cherry trees in Japan, but some parks and gardens set aside a section for them, often designated as “Plum Grove” and with a mix of early to late-blooming varieties for an extended viewing window. Here is a handy guide for the best viewing spots in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka.
Some pics from Osaka Castle Plum Grove in early March:
SIDE NOTE: Plum, with its strong association with Japanese cuisine, is sometimes used as the name of one of three set menus at traditional Japanese restaurants. Pine tree (“matsu” or松) is the highest, most expensive set menu on offer, while bamboo (“take” or竹) is the mid-level, and plum (“ume” or梅) is the baseline. You may see this in sushi places, kaiseki restaurants, and the like.
In March 2022, I was lucky to have continuous flowering through the 3 weeks there, staring with plums in Kanazawa, with Sakura starting at my next stop (Tokyo).
Kenrokuen Park in Kanazawa was heavily planted with plum trees.
That’s awesome. Those trees were bare when I was there during Fall, and the castle was so crowded so I walked the grounds. Here’s Tsuragi castle in Aizuwakamatsu. The fall colors in this area were nothing like I’ve ever seen, especially at some of the gardens.
Sumo didn’t cross my mind, unfortunately. A friend sent a few short videos from his recent trip. He had really good close up seats and it was just insane.
Hakuryuen in Kyoto was difficult to schedule but worth the effort.
Mikael, it doesn’t surprise me that your friends never mentioned plum blossom. It isn’t much of a social event. First, it’d still be too cold outside. Then, plum blossom just doesn’t hold the kind of singular place in Japanese culture cherry blossom does.
Perhaps it meant more in the old days – with people living in little-insulated drafty houses with very limited heating– as a welcome reminder that spring is coming. Today, plum blossom feels like an artifact from a bygone era, something you know from old paintings and stories, that didn’t keep pace with the changing society (as cherry blossom has).
Hakuryuen seems like a perfect refuge from the crowds during cherry blossom and fall foliage in Kyoto. Great to know, thanks!
As to not being able to get inside Osaka Castle, personally, I don’t think you missed much. I love that castle and stop by there every time I’m in the area, but only to view it from the grounds and gardens. Inside, it’s a modern museum, about the history of the castle. You wouldn’t even know you are inside a castle until you get to the top floor, which is an open-air observation deck. Nice, but not essential is what I tell people.
BTW, Japanese people LOVE viewing cities from the above. Many skyscrapers have observation decks that people line up to pay to get in. I don’t get it. Makes me think of a Chihuahua I knew who, thinking like a cat, had to climb to the highest point in any room he was in.
Anyway, this is what you’d have seen from the top of Osaka Castle. (Again, to me, nice but not essential, particularly when there is a queue to get in, which is often.)
Thanks for that. I wanted to get a skyline view at least once to get a better mental map of everything (living in a town with a 4 story height limit I also don’t get to see city scenery like this too often ). We visited Mt Kongo and hiked to the top but the skies were a pretty hazy, so views of Osaka and the other side of the peak almost didn’t exist (beautiful hike though, and another memorable day trip outside of the city, along with Korakuen Garden in Okayama).
Makes me think of a Chihuahua I knew who, thinking like a cat, had to climb to the highest point in any room he was in. 
). We visited Mt Kongo and hiked to the top but the skies were a pretty hazy, so views of Osaka and the other side of the peak almost didn’t exist (beautiful hike though, and another memorable day trip outside of the city, along with Korakuen Garden in Okayama).