Most visitors are awed by Kumamoto Castle's imposing walls; myself, I am more preoccupied with the stairs. According to the map board just inside the Hazekata Gate, there are many of them, tracing a convoluted path up to the raven-black donjon.

Normal people might not bat an eye, but invaders and stroller-toting mothers ... That's another story. I've been the latter for almost two years, and though my stamina has grown I still cringe at the sight of a hilltop Japanese castle. Thankfully, I've brought my own assistance — it's nowhere near the size of an attacking army, but even the one extra set of hands provided by my visiting mother is a great help.

This castle, which dominates the Kyushu city of Kumamoto, is consistently listed as one of the country's top three. Certainly, nothing rivals the original fortifications still standing proudly at Matsumoto and Himeji in Nagano and Hyogo prefectures, respectively; but despite its donjon being a ferro-concrete reconstruction, Kumamoto is not to be missed.