Okajo Castle, Taketa

Entering Taketa Town in Oita prefecture is like finding the mythical “land that time forgot” in the heart of Antartica. Tunnels seemingly guard the entrance to the inner city from all directions and when you come out the other end it’s as if you’ve stepped back in time 100 years. A train station seemingly unchanged since Meiji days and, along with it’s regular service, distinguished by a delightful, yellow one box car that trundles back and forth between Kumamoto and Oita daily on the Hohi line. “Jokamachi, the town below the castle” is compact enough to find everything you need within easy walking distance and towering above it all is OkaJo, the castle on the mountain. Sadly, only the stone foundations remain of what was once a flourishing empire but with a little imagination you can’t fail to be impressed by what was once here. Climbing up to the Otemon or main gate, you realize there is really only one way in, as the sheer rock cliffs of the mountain, fortified by the stone walls of the castle, protect it on all sides. Attacked by rivals, the Shimazu clan in 1586, the young warlord Chikatsugu Shiga -just 18 and with only a small garrison of soldiers - successfully defended the castle against a massive army of thousands earning it’s reputation as a truly impenetrable fortress.