Japanese Castles – Index

Welcome to the Japanese Castle Index:
Please note that you’ll only find castles listed that I’ve actually visited myself! Blog posts will follow and I’ll link to them from here. You can also browse the castle related blog entries here.
The rating () is based on my personal preference and was also influenced by the weather and other circumstances that might have affected my overall impression of a castle!


Aizu (Fukushima) reconstructed / hilltop access: Wakamatsu Sta. tourist info: 400¥ fee visited: 01/2009 rating: ____________ website ____________ post pending	Akashi (Hyogo) other buildings / hilltop access: Akashi Sta. tourist info: no fee visited: 01/2009 rating: ____________ pamphlet ____________ post pending	Ako (Hyogo) other buildings / flatland access: Banshu-Ako Sta. tourist info: no fee visited: 10/2011 rating: ____________ website ____________ post pending

Ise (Mie) replica / hilltop access: Toba Sta. tourist info: 3900¥ fee visited: 08/2010 rating: ____________ website ____________ post pending

Bitchu Matsuyama Castle in Okayama, 備中松山城

Bitchu Takahashi (Okayama)

original / mountaintop

Founded 1240 by Akiba Shigenobu. Kanji: 備中松山城. Other name(s): Takahashi Castle.

access: B.-Takahashi Sta.

From Bitchu-Takahashi Sta. 15min. taxi + 20min. hiking. There are shared sightseeing taxis. You can make a reservation at the tourist information there. There's also a shuttle bus (check out the website below for the time schedule). Travel tip: It's not too far from Okayama City.

tourist info: 300¥ fee

open: 9am-5:30 (from April-September); 9am-5pm (Oct-March); closed from Dec 28th - Jan 4th

visited: 04/2011

rating:

____________

website

____________

post pending

Chiba (Chiba)

reconstructed / hilltop

Founded 1126 by Chiba Tsuneshige. Kanji: 千葉城 // Other name(s): Inohana Castle.

access: Honchiba Sta.

15min. walk from the station; not too far from Tokyo

tourist info: 60¥ fee

Open: 9am-5pm. Closed on: Mondays (or Tuesdays if Monday was a national holiday), national holidays and around the end of the year / new year.

visited: 04/2012

rating:

____________

pamphlet

____________

blog post


Fukuchiyama (Kyoto) reconstructed access: Fukuchiyama tourist info: 310¥ fee visited: 10/2011 rating: ____________ website ____________ post pending	Fukuyama (Hiroshima) reconstructed / hilltop access: Fukuyama Sta. tourist info: 200¥ free visited: 04/2010 rating: ____________ website ____________ post pending	Momoyama (Kyoto) reconstructed / flatland access: Momoyama Sta. tourist info: no fee visited: 11/2011 rating: ____________ website ____________ blog post

Gifu (Gifu)

reconstructed / mt.top

Built in 1201 by the Nikaido clan. Kanji: 岐阜城 // Other name(s): Inabayama Castle

access: Gifu Sta.

From there a short bus ride + ropeway (or short hike). Take one of the following buses: N80高富｣行 or ｢N32｣～｢N86｣! Not too far from Inuyama or Nagoya.

tourist info: 200¥ fee

Open: 9:30am-5:30pm (March 16th - May 11th) // 8:30-5:30 (May 12th - Oct 16th) // 9:30-4:30 (Oct 17th - March 15th). Special panorama view nights longer opening hours up till 10pm, see website link below for more details! No closing days.

visited: 08/2010

rating:

____________

website

____________

post pending


Hagi (Yamaguchi) ruins access: Higashi Hagi Sta. tourist info: no fee visited: 02/2012 rating: ____________ pamphlet ____________ post pending	Hamamatsu (Shizuoka) reconstructed / hilltop access: Hamamatsu Sta. tourist info: 150¥ fee visited: 04/2012 rating: ____________ website ____________ post pending	Hikone (Shiga) original / hilltop access: Hikone Sta. tourist info: 600¥ fee visited: 01/2010 rating: ____________ website ____________ post pending

Himeji (Hyogo) original / hilltop access: Himeji Sta. tourist info: 400¥ fee visited: 09/’07 + 04/’12 rating: ____________ website ____________ post pending	Hirado (Nagasaki) reconstructed / mountain access: Tabirahiradoguchi tourist info: 500¥ fee visited: 01/2012 rating: ____________ website ____________ blog post	Hirosaki (Aomori) original / hilltop access: Hirosaki Sta. tourist info: 300¥ fee visited: 05/2012 rating: ____________ website ____________ blog post

Hiroshima (Hiroshima) reconstructed / flatland access: Hiroshima Sta. tourist info: 360¥ fee visited: 04/2010 rating: ____________ pamphlet ____________ post pending


Iga (Mie) reconstructed / hilltop access: Uenoshi Sta. tourist info: 500¥ fee visited: 05/2010 rating: ____________ website ____________ post pending	Inyuama (Aichi) original / hilltop access: Inuyama Sta. tourist info: 500¥ fee visited: 08/2010 rating: ____________ website ____________ post pending	Iwakuni (Yamaguchi) reconstructed / mt.top access: Iwakuni Sta. tourist info: 290¥ fee visited: 07/2009 rating: ____________ website ____________ post pending
		Nisshin (Aichi) reconstructed / hilltop access: Nisshin Sta. tourist info: 0¥ fee visited: 08/2010 rating: ____________ website ____________ post pending


Kakegawa (Shizuoka) reconstructed / hilltop access: Kakegawa Sta. tourist info: 300¥ fee visited: 04/2012 rating: ____________ website ____________ post pending	Kaminoyama (Yamagata) reconstructed / hilltop access: Kaminoyama Sta. tourist info: 400¥ fee visited: 05/2012 rating: ____________ website ____________ blog post	Kanazawa (Ishikawa) other buildings / hilltop access: Kanazawa Sta. tourist info: 300¥ fee visited: 01/2011 rating: ____________ website ____________ post pending

Tottori (Tottori) reconstructed / hilltop access: Tottori Sta. tourist info: free visited: 04/2011 rating: ____________ website ____________ post pending	Kishiwada (Osaka) reconstructed / flatland access: Kishiwada Sta. tourist info: 300¥ fee visited: 11/2011 rating: ____________ website ____________ post pending	Kiyosu (Aichi) reconstructed / flatland access: Kiyosu Sta. tourist info: 300¥ fee visited: 08/2010 rating: ____________ website ____________ post pending

Kochi (Kochi) original / hilltop access: Kochi Sta. tourist info: 400¥ fee visited: 04/2009 rating: ____________ pamphlet ____________ post pending	Kitakyushu (Fukuoka) reconstructed / flatland access: Kokura Sta. tourist info: 350¥ fee visited: 08/2008 rating: ____________ website ____________ post pending	Akita (Akita) reconstructed / flatland access: Akita Sta. tourist info: 100¥ fee visited: 04/2012 rating: ____________ website ____________ blog post

Kumamoto (Kumamoto) reconstructed / hilltop access: Kumamoto Sta. tourist info: 500¥ fee visited: 08/2008 rating: ____________ website ____________ post pending	Omura (Nagasaki) other buildings / hilltop access: Omura Sta. tourist info: no fee visited: 01/2012 rating: ____________ website ____________ blog post


Marugame (Kagawa) original / hilltop access: Kagawa Sta. tourist info: 200¥ fee visited: 03/2011 rating: ____________ website ____________ post pending	Matsue (Shimane) original / hilltop access: Matsue Sta. tourist info: 550¥ fee visited: 04/2011 rating: ____________ website ____________ post pending	Matsumae (Hokkaido) reconstructed / flatland access: Hakodate Sta. tourist info: 350¥ fee visited: 05/2012 rating: ____________ website ____________ blog post

Matsumoto (Nagano) original / flatland access: Matsumoto Sta. tourist info: 600¥ fee visited: 01/2011 rating: ____________ website ____________ post pending	Matsuyama (Ehime) original / hilltop access: Matsuyama Sta. tourist info: 500¥ fee visited: 04/2009 rating: ____________ website ____________ post pending	Morioka (Iwate) ruins / hilltop access: Morioka Sta. tourist info: no fee visited: 05/2012 rating: ____________ website ____________ post pending

Naruto (Tokushima) reconstructed / hilltop access: Naruto Sta. tourist info: ??¥ fee visited: 04/2009 rating: ____________ website ____________ post pending


Nagahama (Shiga) reconstructed / flatland access: Nagahama Sta. tourist info: 400¥ fee visited: 01/2010 rating: ____________ website ____________ post pending	Nakatsu (Oita) reconstructed / flatland access: Nakatsu Sta. tourist info: 400¥　fee visited: 12/2011 rating: ____________ website ____________ blog post	Nagoya (Aichi) reconstructed / flatland access: Nagoya Sta. tourist info: 500¥ fee visited: 08/2010 rating: ____________ website ____________ post pending

Hachinohe (Aomori) other buildings / flatland access: Hachinohe Sta. tourist info: 250¥ fee visited: 05/2012 rating: ____________ website ____________ blog post	Kyoto other buildings / flatland access: Kyoto Sta. tourist info: 600¥ fee visited: 09/2007 rating: ____________ website ____________ post pending


Odawara (Kanagawa) reconstructed / hilltop access: Odawara Sta. tourist info: 400¥ fee visited: 04/2012 rating: ____________ website ____________ post pending	Ogaki (Gifu) reconstructed / flatland access: Ogaki Sta. tourist info: 100¥ fee visited: 08/2010 rating: ____________ schedule ____________ post pending	Okayama (Okayama) reconstructed / hilltop access: Okayama Sta. tourist info: 300¥ fee visited: 04/2009 rating: ____________ website ____________ post pending

Okazaki (Aichi) reconstructed / hilltop access: Okazaki Sta. tourist info: 200¥ fee visited: 08/2010 rating: ____________ website ____________ post pending	Onomichi (Hiroshima) reconstructed / flatland access: Onomichi Sta. tourist info: ?¥ fee visited: 04/2010 rating: ____________ website ____________ post pending	Osaka reconstructed / flatland access: Osaka Sta. tourist info: 600¥ fee visited: 09/’07 + 05/’10 rating: ____________ website ____________ post pending


Sasayama (Hyogo) other buildings / hilltop access: S.y.guchi Sta. tourist info: 400¥ fee visited: 03/2012 rating: ____________ website ____________ post pending	Sendai (Miyagi) other buildings / mt.top access: Sendai Sta. tourist info: 700¥ fee visited: 01/2009 rating: ____________ website ____________ post pending	Shimabara (Nagasaki) reconstructed / flatland access: Shimabara Sta. tourist info: 520¥ fee visited: 01/2012 rating: ____________ website ____________ blog post

Shizuoka (Shizuoka) other buildings / flatland access: Shizuoka Sta. tourist info: 200¥ fee visited: 04/2012 rating: ____________ website ____________ post pending


Takamatsu (Kagawa) other buildings / flatland access: Takamatsu Sta. tourist info: 200¥ fee visited: 04/2011 rating: ____________ website ____________ post pending	Suwa (Nagano) reconstructed / flatland access: Kamisuwa Sta. tourist info: 300¥ fee visited: 01/2011 rating: ____________ website ____________ post pending	Fujieda (Shizuoka) other buildings / flatland access: Nishiyaizu Sta. tourist info: no fee　 visited: 04/2012 rating: ____________ website ____________ post pending

Tatsuno (Hyogo) other buildings / mountain access: Hontatsuno Sta. tourist info: no fee visited: 04/2012 rating: ____________ website ____________ post pending	Tottori (Tottori) ruins access: Tottori Sta. tourist info: no fee visited: 04/2011 rating: ____________ website ____________ post pending	Toyama (Toyama) reconstructed / flatland access: Toyama Sta. tourist info: 200¥ fee visited: 01/2011 rating: ____________ website ____________ post pending

Tsuwano (Shimane) ruins / mountaintop access: Tsuwano Sta. tourist info: no fee visited: 02/2012 rating: ____________ website ____________ post pending	Tsuyama (Okayama) other buildings / hilltop access: Tsuyama Sta. tourist info: 300¥ fee visited: 04/2011 rating: ____________ website ____________ post pending

Wakayama (Wakayama)

reconstructed / hilltop

Built in 1585 by Toyotomi Hidenaga, brother of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Kanji: 和歌山城 / Other name(s): Takegaki Castle; Torafusu Castle

access: Wakayama Sta.

From there 20min. walk or 10min. by bus (get off 'Koenmae')

tourist info: 400¥ fee

Open: 9am-5pm. Closed: Dec 29th - Jan 3rd.

visited: 07/2011

rating:

____________

website

____________

post pending

Yamagata (Yamagata)

other buildings / flatland

Built in 1356 by Shiba Kaneyori who later changed his name to Mogami. Kanji: 山形城 / Other name(s): Kasumiga Castle

access: Yamagata Sta.

A 10min. walk from there. Travel tip: Kaminoyama Castle is very close, also the famous Yamadera.

tourist info: no fee

The East Gate is open from 5am-10pm. There are no closing days.

visited: 04/2012

rating:

____________

website

____________

blog post

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