Nagoya Castle Observation Deck (4th Floor)

The fourth-floor watchtower of Inuyama Castle in Nagoya looks out over a grid of streets that reflect the wealth and order the castle brought to this area. The walls display portraits of all 12 lords of the Naruse family, who owned the castle for nearly 400 years: from hand-painted images of Naruse Masanari in the 1600s to photographs of Naruse Masatoshi in the twentieth century. A striking wall-to-wall red carpet was installed by Naruse Masanaga in the early nineteenth century. The balcony railing is deliberately low, kept minimal so it would not break the sight lines of the castle's exterior. The views change with each season.