I have sent some pictures for you to look at, to accompany my previous text.     They include:

1) A street shrine in the tourist area between the lake and castle. The god portrayed is, as far as I can ascertain, the son of the first god, and his name is Daikoku-ten (I think). People pray to him for luck in money.

2) Signs above the street show a variety of restaurants, bars, snacks and other places. You can also get a sense of the narrowness of the sidewalks.

3) Lafcadio Hearn's residence near the castle, showing tatami mats on the floor and part of the beautiful front garden.

4) The courtyard of the buke yashiki, or samurai house.

5) The stone tortoise at the Gessho-ji temple. The tortoise itself is over 5 feet tall and the pillar on its back rises to about 17 feet above the ground.