But Ueda is one in a long line of locals that have made the three-hour trip to Tokyo and rarely looked back. Map showing the location of Makinohara in relation to some of Japan's major cities.

Undoubtedly the star attraction of this great city, Ueda Castle dates from 1583, and served as a local base of operations for the Sanada clan, during Japan’s Sengoku period. Several bloody conflicts ...