Fukui

Echizen Ono Castle in Fukui

Famous 'Castle in the Sky' on top of Mt. Kameyama

Takako Sakamoto Nov 18, 2014 - 1 min read

<p>Echizen Ono Castle, also known as 'The Castle in the Sky'. Several times a year, when Ono city is covered in mist, the castle looks as though it's floating in the sky.</p>

<p>Looking up at Ono Castle from below</p>

<p>Echizen Ono Castle surrounded by greenery</p>

<p>Echizen Ono Castle on top of Mt. Kameyama in mid October</p>

<p>A couple on the castle grounds looking out at Ono city below</p>

<p>Echizen Ono Castle under the blue sky</p>

<p>Entrance to the main keep. Unfortunately, it was already closed when I visited</p>

<p>Echizen Ono Castle seen through tree branches - this could be a cherry blossom view in spring!</p>

<p>Steep stone stairs to get to the main keep</p>

<p>These stone stairs are called musha nobori (samurai stairs), which are designed to be steep to ward off enemies</p>

<p>The statue of Doi Toshitada, the seventh lord of Ono Han (feudal region), standing in the castle grounds</p>

<p>Early autumn leaves around the statue of Doi Toshitada</p>

<p>At the top of the cold mountain, trees were already turning color in mid October</p>

<p>Crows in the sky over Echizen Ono Castle</p>

Echizen Ono Castle in Ono city, Fukui prefecture, was first founded by Kanamori Nagachika, a subject of Oda Nobunaga, in 1575. It was destroyed just after the Meiji Restoration in 1868, then restored in 1968. But the castle's history wasn't the reason why I visited it. Since the release of Hayao Miyazaki's movie, 'LAPUTA: Castle in the Sky', some mountain top castles in Japan became popular among tourists. This castle is one of them. Several times a year mist covers the entire city below, and the castle looks as though it's floating in the sky. If you are an avid photographer, why don't you come and try capturing this rare natural phenomena with your camera? Good luck!

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Ono Castle

Takako Sakamoto @takako.sakamoto

I was born in and grew up in Tokushima prefecture, and have lived in many places since then: Nishinomiya, Kyoto, Nara, Mie, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Fukuoka and Fukui. I am currently living in Yokohama City. All the places I lived, all the places I visited, I have loved dearly. The histor...