I was looking at another castle, then at Aizu-Wakamatsu train station, then at Shirakawa, and was suddenly surprised to see this:
What is this shining light on Shirakawa Castle @ 5.01pm Japan time? I was surprised because I have never seen it before whenever I looked.
The light shines bright, dims a little, then brightens again. A lamp? A metal carp on the roof?
I asked Bro to have a look while I went away from my room. When I returned, he said the light disappeared. He said it was shining, but when he looked at a passing train and looked back to the light, it was gone.
At first, he thought it was a body of water. (On the roof? I said. Maybe behind the castle but looking like it's on top? I thought.)
But then he is more certain it's a mirror. But I don't think Japanese castles hang mirrors. Also, the light shone very strong and bright, like man-made (a lamp). If it's a mirror, it should shine and go out, then shine again with the wind. But the light was steady, brightening for a while before dimming a little, like a star.
I have not seen the metal carps or decorations on castle roofs shine like this when I was there (although I have not been to this castle).
A few minutes later.... 4.38pm
It's a damn lamp. Bro says it looks like a panel of lights. The earlier brightening and dimming is probably the dimmer timer function. He says they could be having some festivities or function there, but I really doubt it. It's winter and it's a very quiet castle in what appears to be a forgotten/out-of-the-way spot. More likely they are doing overtime reconstructing the collapsed part of the castle (still doing it after 2 years since the earthquake. Slow. Work doesn't seem to progress every time I look. Were they perhaps waiting for the correct rocks to reconstruct?). Passing (cargo?) train below.
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