Wakayama Castle

　Wakayama is a city that I rarely come to for interpreter-guide work. This time I visited on the request of an interpreter’s test.
　The keep of Wakayama Castle, located in front of the Wakayama Prefectural Government Office, is a popular photogenic spot during the cherry blossom season. Unfortunately, the cherry blossoms were still in bud, but the castle keep is beautiful against the blue sky.
　Wakayama Castle was the residence of the Kishu Tokugawa family, a branch of the clan of the Tokugawa family that founded the Edo Shogunate, and was known as a castle with a vast area.
　The castle remained intact after the decree to abolish the castle was promulgated at the time of the Meiji Restoration, but it was destroyed by fire in an air raid by the US Army in July 1945, with over 1,200 casualties.
　The present keep was reconstructed in 1958 using reinforced concrete, and when lit up with the 600 cherry trees, it offers a fantastic view of the beauty of the castle.