Society

Exterior of quake-hit Kumamoto Castle repaired

Oct 01 (NHK) - Media have been invited to view the renovated exterior of an ancient castle tower in southwestern Japan, which was seriously damaged by earthquakes in 2016.

Journalists were ushered into part of the grounds of Kumamoto Castle in Kumamoto Prefecture on Sunday, ahead of a special sightseeing tour scheduled to start next month.

The castle grounds had remained closed to the public while repair work was underway following the quakes.

Now that renovation work on the main castle tower is almost complete, visitors will be allowed to enter the grounds and walk to a viewpoint, 450 meters from the tower.

A closer view of the grand tower and its stone foundations will be possible. They were constructed by warlord Kato Kiyomasa in the 16th century. The exquisitely-curved, smooth stone foundation walls were designed to prevent enemy soldiers from climbing up into the tower building.

Castle office head Tatsuo Amita says part of the castle will now reopen thanks to the support of people from around the country. He calls on everyone to visit the castle and see the steady progress in the reconstruction project.

The special tour will be held for ten days from Saturday, and then on Sundays and national holidays until late next March.

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