[/floatr]Asahi: Aerial bombardment threatening Nagoya Castle
While it might lack the firepower of bombing raids that razed much of the compound in 1945, a present-day airborne offensive on Nagoya Castle is literally laying waste to the centuries-old fortification. With a propensity to indiscriminately cover the landscape beneath them in excrement, flocks of great cormorants recently calling the castle home have begun giving the historic site a makeover its guardians would rather do without. Bird droppings cover not only stone walls and trees around the "Honmaru" central portion of the castle compound, but also the roof of the treasured Northwest Tower, first erected around 1619 and now designated by the central government as an important cultural asset... The cultural asset protection law prohibits any activities deemed likely to cause damage, including cleaning. "If we wash away the droppings, the act could damage tiles or stone walls. We want to avoid such a situation," said Hitoshi Sato, an official of the management office...more...
