Oranamon C

I agree with this guy.

Coin Locker blues

just love that awesome feeling you have a second after you close a coin locker and realise that I left something inside. #kechi

Shinshiro

Apart from the impressive history, Shinshiro is a beautiful town. Definitely worth a visit and the Sakura Bekkan Ryokan has a view of the Toyokawa river: full of keeping fish and surrounded by dozens of birds all chattering away.

Storm the palisades!

This is the view from the creek separating the Takeda and Oda forces. Much of the topography has changed because of 400 years of agriculture and industry, but you can see from the re-creation of the palisades that the logs were stout enough to block charging cavalry and also offer some minor protection to the arqubusiers in a melee.
Gaps in the palisades allowed infantry to break Takeda units fortunate enough to be intact after volleys of gunfire.
The museum curator told me that the foliage was very different back in the day with much of the hills that divide the creeks that flow into the valley being denuded of larger trees.
That's important because from the pic you can see that the thick forest also might have prevented attack (let alone Oda generals directing their soldiers).

For relaxing times

Had a massive and excellent day exploring Shinshiro and now it's time for King of Zipangu (taiga drama)  and a biiru in one of the nicest ryokan I've ever been in

Welcome to Shinshiro

There are signs and posters all across this town of Suemon, a Samurai who chose a painful death by crucifixion in order to tell his comrades inside the castle that everyone's favourite Oda was on way to relieve them

Smoke?

Japan still has a lot of smokers and with a pack costing about $5 (compared to $20 in Australia) it's hard to see the government taxing enough to offset healthcare costs.

Having said that, not that long ago people smoked anywhere and everywhere but nowadays more venues like the Yasukuni Shrine expect smokers to go into little rooms.