03.Matsumoto Castle/Nagano

Matsumoto Castle, located in Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture, is a famous castle with a history of more than 1,400 years, and is the oldest existing five-story, six-floor castle tower in Japan (*5 roofs visible from the outside, 6 floors inside). There are castles with keepers all over Japan, but there are only 12 "existing keepers" that are still intact from the Warring States Period to the Edo Period, and only five of them are designated as national treasures. One of them is Matsumoto Castle. Matsumoto Castle is the only one of the 12 existing castle towers that was built on a flat plain with no ups and downs. One of the features of the castle is that it has three layers of moats around it for defense. And one of the most striking features of the castle is that it is a "jet-black castle" with black lacquer painted on the outer walls. This black lacquer is repainted every year to maintain its beauty. One of the most popular photo spots that accentuates the beauty of the castle is the Uzumi Bridge on the west side of the castle. The sight of the red bridge and the jet-black castle continues to fascinate viewers.

03番　松本城/長野県

長野県松本市にある「松本城」は１400年以上の歴史を持つ名城で、現存する五重六階天守（※外から見える屋根が5つ、内部は6階建てのお城）の中で日本最古のお城です。天守をもつお城は日本全国にありますが、今も戦国時代から江戸時代の状態のままの天守を残す「現存天守」はわずか12。さらに国宝に指定されている城は5つだけです。そのひとつが、松本城です。 松本城は現存12天守で唯一起伏のない平地に築かれた平城で、防御のために周囲に3重のお堀が設けられているのが特徴のひとつ。 ひときわ目を引くのが、外壁に黒漆を塗った「漆黒の城」であることです。この黒漆は毎年塗り替えられ、美しさが保たれています。そしてその美しさを際立たせる人気撮影スポットのひとつが、城の西側に架けられた「埋橋（うずみばし／うずみのはし）」です。赤い橋と漆黒の城の鮮やさが映えるその姿は見る者を魅了し続けています。