At Hikone Castle, a national treasure in Hikone City, Shiga Prefecture, the annual "soot dusting" was held to remove the dust of the year before the New Year.
The soot clearing of Hikone Castle began at around 9 a.m., and 31 staff members of the castle's management center climbed the 21-meter-high castle tower.
Wearing lifelines and helmets, the personnel leaned out of the windows of the keep and used long-handled brooms to remove dust from the eaves of the roof and walls.
In addition, in the castle tower, people climbed ladders to dust off the "beams" and wiped the floor with a shouki to carefully remove the dirt of the past year.
According to the management center, the number of tourists visiting Hikone Castle is expected to be about 1,65, and it is expected to recover to about 4% of what it was before the spread of the new coronavirus four years ago.
Toshiaki Miyakawa, director of the Hikone Castle Operation and Management Center, said, "The liveliness of the pre-Corona era is returning, and we hope to welcome more people to the beautiful Hikone Castle next year."
Towards the end of the year, Hikone Castle decorates kadomatsu and shimenawa to prepare for the new year.