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The Japanese castle diary of Useless

Useless is the network’s eraser-in-residence. This time it has been posted to the top floor of a castle keep with a notebook and a very small telescope. Every fact in here has been checked by someone more qualified, i.e. anyone.

Useless, a pink-and-blue eraser with googly eyes
  1. Day 1

    Himeji is called White Heron Castle because of its white plaster walls. I am white too. Nobody has ever called me a heron. UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Himeji-jo

  2. Day 2

    Matsumoto looks like five storeys from outside but has six floors inside. I look like an eraser from outside. Inside: more eraser. No surprises. Matsumoto Castle official website: About Matsumoto Castle

  3. Day 3

    Kumamoto’s stone walls get steeper the higher you climb. So does my maths homework. Kumamoto Castle official website: History

  4. Day 4

    The castle’s website says even nimble ninjas failed to climb Kumamoto’s walls. I fail to climb out of my pencil case. Kumamoto Castle official website: History

  5. Day 5

    Today’s Osaka tower is the third main tower on the site. I am the third eraser this term. The other two are “missing”. Japan Tourism Agency: Osaka Castle Main Tower

  6. Day 6

    Nagoya’s golden male shachihoko weighs 1,272 kg. I weigh about as much as a crumb. Guess which one gets polished. Nagoya Castle official website: Nagoya Castle

  7. Day 7

    Matsue has the only surviving castle keep with a well inside. My pencil case has a leaky pen inside. Not the same thing. JNTO: Matsue Castle

  8. Day 8

    More than 1,000 cherry trees grow in Himeji’s castle grounds. The number growing on me is zero. I checked twice. JNTO: Himeji Castle

  9. Day 9

    Matsumoto’s walls on the first two floors are about 29 centimetres thick. I am about 1 centimetre thick, and most of that is pencil dust. Matsumoto Castle official website: The Keep and Its Structure

  10. Day 10

    Himeji had a kitchen ready in case of a siege. My desk has half a biscuit ready in case of a long lesson. JNTO: Himeji Castle (UNESCO)

  11. Day 11

    Osaka’s tower looks like five storeys but has eight floors inside. I look small. That is because I am small. Japan Tourism Agency: Osaka Castle Main Tower

  12. Day 12

    Iron spikes called shinobi-gaeshi once topped a wall at Kumamoto. The top of my pencil case has a broken zip. About as useful. Kumamoto Castle official website: About Kumamoto Castle

  13. Day 13

    Inuyama was handed back to its owners in 1895, as long as they mended the earthquake damage. I was handed back once, as long as I mended a spelling mistake. I made it worse. JNTO: Inuyama Castle

  14. Day 14

    Bitchu Matsuyama seems to float above the clouds. I seem to sink to the bottom of every bag. JNTO: Bitchu Matsuyama Castle

  15. Day 15

    Nagoya’s wall stones carry the marks of the 20 daimyo ordered to build the castle. I carry the marks of 20 different biros. Nagoya Castle official website: Nagoya Castle

  16. Day 16

    Hikone Castle never saw a real battle. I see one every day, against a pencil. I always lose. JNTO: Discover Japan’s Twelve Original Castles

Want more of Useless on paper? The Japanese Castles Family Activity Pack has colouring pages, a castle maze, spot the difference, a design-your-own-keep page, Useless the Eraser’s Japanese castle jokes and a 20-question family quiz (paid download, $3.49 USD, A4 and US Letter).