Bansuisō

It’s a unique thing to see in Japan and can be toured in about 30 minutes. They don’t have any brochures or signs in other languages though so if you can’t read Japanese you have to use your phone to read signs or you won’t get much out of it

Upon arriving at the venue, I was immediately struck by the building's pristine and well-maintained exterior. Its façade hinted at a rich history and promised a journey back in time, setting high expectations for what lay inside. Imagining rooms adorned with artifacts, I was eager to immerse myself in the treasures of yesteryears. However, as I ventured further, I was met with a series of stark, empty rooms. The absence of original furnishings was palpable, leaving spaces that felt more like vacuous echoes rather than hallowed halls of history. Instead of the rich tapestry of items from the past, the rooms were bereft of significant memorabilia, creating a dissonance between the building's exterior promise and its interior reality. A handful of rooms did offer a semblance of the past, displaying photographs from Japanese dramas and historical posters. These glimpses, though intriguing, couldn't compensate for the overall emptiness. In the end, what I had hoped would be a prolonged journey of discovery was reduced to a brief 15-minute tour. The place, while holding traces of its illustrious past, sadly feels like a mere shadow, a shell of its once grand self.

Very outstanding architect in the middle of the forest. This white French style castle is hard to miss even though it’s not a castle. It used to be a house for a very powerful governor who actually was titled in a royal rank. The look of this architect is good enough to attract visitors’ eyes but not recommended to buy a ticket to have a tour inside of it. There is nothing that much to have a look. However when we got there some exhibition was going on the first floor with a theme of gothic. It was pretty interesting to have a look. I guess there’s occasionally this type of free exhibition hosted here.

(+) Beautiful garden area (+) Gazebo has a “othello ” table for people to play. (+) Great location for pictures (+) Unique European architecture (+) Wide variety of events & exhibitions every month (+) Beautiful woodwork & stained glass windows inside. (-) If you’re not interested in the exhibition, or there aren’t any events when you visit, it may not be worth the admission ticket to the house.

It was closed when I visited. But I take a chance to spot outside the building. It was amazing to me with its classical decorations. The surrounding environment is also enjoyable and worth dropping by for a picture.