Culture
Matsusaka Castle Ruins
Chris GlennA trip to Matsusaka wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the impressive remains of the castle and it’s famed samurai barra...
Gathering together the castles that make up a famous Japanese list—the Top 100 Castles, or Hyakumeijo—by the Japanese Castle Foundation. (Note: we are slowly working to feature all one hundred spots here).
A trip to Matsusaka wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the impressive remains of the castle and it’s famed samurai barra...
Okazaki Castle is the symbol of the city. Originally built in 1455 by the warrior Saigo Tsugiyori, the castle grounds are now...
Nagashino Castle, high on a cliff at the fork of the Ure and the Kansa Rivers, guarded the Tokugawa held Mikawa provinces fro...
Kochi Castle is in downtown Kochi on Otakasa Hill, and offers a great place for a lookout over the city. You can also enjoy a...
Matsuyama Castle stands on a significant hill right in the middle of town, offering spectacular views of the city, mountains ...
Imabari Castle is one of the obvious landmarks of the city of Imabari. It’s a very pretty castle, surrounded by a square moat...
Gifu castle and Ropeway provides a marvelous view of Gifu City and the Naragarawa River from the top of Mt. Kinka. It was fro...
Most foreign tourists head to the north western Mie Prefecture town to see the ninja, without even realizing the city of Iga ...
Ozu castle stands on a hillock that extends into a bend in the river Hiji, creating the impression that the castle stands on ...
Japan's oldest remaining castle, National Treasure Inuyama Castle.
Honor or wealth, which would you choose? Relive the dilemma of General Satake.
Odawara Castle was built in the 15th Century and was used as the Hojo Clan residence. It soon became the largest castle in m...
A blend of Japanese and Chinese cultures, Shuri-jo castle was the seat of Ryukyuan royalty before the Okinawan islands became...
Built under the order of Tokugawa Ieyasu, Nijo-jo has served as the home of the Tokugawa shogun, an Imperial property, and is...
Built in 1441 on the summit of a 1,000-foot mountain, the ruins of Takeda Castle cover an area a quarter of a mile in length ...
A park with more than 1500 pink sakura trees where Takato Castle once stood. It's on the list of 100 best sakura viewing loca...
One of the 12 remaining pre Edo-era castles in Japan just outside of Kyoto
Tottori Castle Ruins are in the heart of downtown Tottori and are a great place to walk, have lunch or enjoy the sakura durin...
An authentic 17th century castle in the heart of Marugame City. The massive 50m tall stone walls are entirely manmade and are...
The meticulously reconstructed and refurbished Kumamoto Castle and its sprawling grounds offers visitors one of the best plac...
A Western Style Fortress but the site of battle of a very Japanese War. Visit the observation tower to best see its snowflake...
Reconstructed 16th century castle with well preserved stone walls and stunning grounds
Inside the Imperial Palace's moat, the east garden gives you a both a tranquil green space to relax beside its pond, and a lo...
In Takamatsu in Kagawa prefecture on Japan's Shikoku island, Tamamo Park is a pleasant park, home to the ruins of Takamatsu C...
A few nice shots of the remains of a peaceful, rural castle in Sasayama, Hyogo.
Matsue is a traditional castle town, with one of only twelve original remaining castles nationwide as its foremost symbol.
One of the oldest historical sites in Japan, an ancient Yayoi period village and its culture comes alive at Yoshinogari Histo...
Kitanakagusuku Village is a frequently visited area of central Okinawa despite being one of the main island's smallest munici...
Hirado castle, a modern reconstruction with 300 year old gates, stands on a hill high above the port of Hirado, where old Eur...
If you can manage to tear yourself out of the glorious onsen at KAI Matsumoto, why not check out the nearby Matsumoto castle?
Next to the modern port city, Kobe, you can find a century-old park called Akashi Park. It is a perfect spot for hanami (cher...
Tokushima Castle is a place that locals frequent on school field trips, to sketch scenery, or to practice Awa Dance. The cast...
Visit the ruins of Nagoya Castle (Saga Prefecture), the short-lived second-largest in Japan. Built to invade a continent, it ...
Ultimate Guide to Osaka Castle and Park: This is a step-by-step introduction to Osaka Castle and the spacious park surroundin...
Maruoka Castle ('Misty Castle') in Fukui has a ghost legend - a woman who became a 'human sacrifice' when they built the cast...
Although Kofu Castle was a ruin, authentic replicas of one of the towers and one of the gates have been built by referring to...
Learn about the Shimabara peninsula's revolutionary ties to Christianity at the museum in the main keep of Shimabara Castle.
Wakayama Castle was Toyotomi Hideyoshi's stronghold on the Kii Peninsula and despite its reconstructed keep, it's still worth...
When visiting Nagoya there are two castles that you need to check out. The obvious one is the majestic Nagoya Castle but Iwas...
The Komoro Castle Ruins near Ueda in Nagano prefecture boast beautiful fall foliage from late October to early November.
Nara's Takatori Castle Ruins, Japan's largest mountain castle, is both a fantasy world realized and a spectacular Japanese ve...
Matsumae Castle was the northernmost Japanese castle in the Edo Period and the only one to be constructed on Hokkaido.
The Obi Castle Ruins sit at the northern edge of the quaint, rural town of Obi in Nichinan, Miyazaki.
Nihonmatsu Castle in Fukushima Prefecture is a beautiful garden incorporated into castle ruins, with trails leading past pond...
Ako Castle, completed in 1648, is known for its association with the feudal lord, Naganori Asano, whose death was avenged by ...
Take a trip back in time as you explore the artifacts at Fukuyama Castle and its surrounding ruins.
We still don't know who constructed Nakijin, though the excavations show that it was started in the 13th century. The fact th...
Iwamura, the ancient castle town located in the countryside of Ena District, is one of the finest representations of Japan’s ...
Kanazawa Castle and Castle Gardens are a gem in the city's sights. Although the original buildings may no longer exist, their...
A castle that has kept much of its original shape and components, Matsuyama Castle still reigns among the most impressive of ...
Being Japan's smallest island, Shikoku isn't the first place most first-time or even second-time travellers would consider fo...