Traveling Info

(熊本城; -jō) is a castle in Kumamoto, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan that has been opened to the public for tours. A large, and in its day, an extremely well fortified Japanese castle. The donjon (castle central keep) is a concrete reconstruction built in 1960, but several ancillary wooden buildings remain of the original castle. The castle was besieged during the Satsuma Rebellion, and was sacked and burned after a 53-day siege. In nearby San-no-Maru Park is the Hosokawa Gyobu-tei, the former residence of Hosokawa clan, the Higo daimyo. This traditional wooden mansion has a fine Japanese garden located in its grounds. The signature curved stone walls known as musha-gaeshi, as well as wooden overhangs were designed to prevent foes from penetrating the castle. Rock falls were also used as deterrents. Kumamoto Castle recently celebrated its 400th anniversary. On Dec 7, 2007 a large scale renovation of the Lord`s Inner Palace was completed. A public ceremony for the restoration was held April 2...

Click here for Gallery (松山城, Matsuyama-jō?) is a flatland-mountain castle that was built in 1603 on Mount Katsuyama, whose height is 132 meters, in Matsuyama city in Ehime Prefecture (the former Iyo Province). It is not to be confused with Bitchū Matsuyama Castle. The main castle building has been designated a National Treasure of Japan. How to get there Matsuyama Castle stands on a steep hill in the center of Matsuyama and can be accessed by ropeway. The closest tram stop to the ropeway station is "Higashikeisatsucho-mae". Click here for Matsuyama Castle Map History This castle was originally built by Kato Yoshiaki in 1603. It had a large five-story tenshu, or keep, which was moved to Aizu Castle when Kato was transferred there in 1627. The next lord, Tadachika Gamoh, died in 1635, shortly after completing the ninomaru. After Tadachika, Matsudaira Sadayuki became the new lord. He completed a new tenshu in 1642. His heirs continued to rule the castle after his death. However,...

Click here for image gallery Matsue Castle (松江城, Matsue-jō?) is a feudal castle in Matsue in Shimane prefecture, Japan. Nicknamed the "black castle" or "plover castle", it is one of the few remaining medieval castles in Japan – at least of the few remaining in their original wooden form, and not a modern reconstruction in concrete. The construction of Matsue Castle began in 1607 and finished in 1611, under the local lord Horio Yoshiharu. In 1638, the fief and castle passed to the Matsudaira clan, a junior branch of the ruling Tokugawa clan. Most Japanese castles have been damaged or destroyed by war, earthquakes, or other causes. Since a large part of their construction was wooden, fire was a major hazard. Matsue castle was built after the last great war of feudal Japan, so it never saw a battle. Yet only some of the walls and the keep exist today. How to get there Matsue Castle can be reached in a 30 minute walk from JR Matsue Station or in a 15 minute walk from Ic...

(姫路城, Himeji-jō?) is a flatland-mountain Japanese castle complex located in Himeji in Hyōgo Prefecture and comprising 83 wooden buildings. It is occasionally known as Hakurojō or Shirasagijō ("White Heron Castle") because of its brilliant white exterior. It was registered as the first Japanese National Cultural Treasure by UNESCO World Heritage Site and a Japanese National Cultural Treasure in December, 1993. Along with Matsumoto Castle and Kumamoto Castle, it is one of Japan's "Three Famous Castles", and is the most visited castle in Japan. How to get there From Himeji Station, the castle can be reached in a 15-20 minute walk or 5 minute bus ride along the broad Otemae-dori Street, which leads in a straight way from the station to the castle. Click here for map Hours and Admission Admission: 600 Yen Hours: Daily 9:00 to 16:00 (until 17:00 from June to August). Closed December 29-31. Architecture, defenses, and design Himeji serves as an excellent example of the...

Click here for image gallery (大坂城・大阪城, Ōsaka-jō?) is a Japanese castle in Chūō-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. Originally called Ozakajō, it is one of Japan's most famous castles, and played a major role in the unification of Japan during the sixteenth century of the Azuchi-Momoyama period. Osaka Castle is situated on a plot of land roughly one kilometer square (1100 yards square). It is built on two raised platforms of landfill supported by sheer walls of cut rock, using a technique called Burdock piling, each overlooking a moat. The central castle building is five stories on the outside and eight stories on the inside, and built atop a tall stone foundation to protect its occupants from sword-bearing attackers. The Castle grounds, which cover approximately 60,000 square meters (15 acres) contain thirteen structures which have been designated as Important Cultural Assets by the Japanese government, including the Toyokuni Shrine, dedicated to Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The castle is o...

二条城, Nijō-jō? is a flatland castle located in Kyoto, Japan. The castle consists of two concentric rings of fortifications, the Ninomaru Palace, the ruins of the Honmaru Palace, various support buildings and several gardens. The surface area of the castle is 275,000 square meters, of which 8000 square meters is occupied by buildings. Click here for Nijo Castle Plan How to get there Nijo Castle is most easily accessed from Nijojo-mae Station on the Tozai Subway Line. From Kyoto Station, take the Karasuma Subway Line to Karasuma Oike Station and transfer to the Tozai Line. The whole trip from Kyoto Station takes about 15-20 minutes. Click here for Nijo Castle Map Hours and Admission Admission: 600 Yen Hours: 8:45 to 17:00 (admission until 16:00). Closed on Tuesdays (Wednesday if Tuesday falls on a national holiday) during January, July, August and December. Closed from December 26 to January 4. History In 1601, Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate, ordered all the feudal...

Click here for Imperial Place Location Map The Kyoto Imperial Palace (京都御所, Kyōto Gosho?) is an imperial palace of Japan, though the Emperor of Japan is not in residence. The Emperor has resided at the Tokyo Imperial Palace since 1869 (Meiji Restoration) and ordered the preservation of the Kyoto Imperial Palace in 1877. Today the grounds are open to the public, and the Imperial Household Agency hosts public tours of the buildings several times a day. The Kyōto Imperial Palace is the latest of the imperial palaces built at or near its site in the north-eastern part of the old capital on Heiankyo after the abandonment of the larger original Heian Palace (大内裏, daidairi?) that was located to the west of the current palace during the Heian Period. The Palace lost much of its function at the time of the Meiji Restoration, when the capital functions was moved to Tokyo in 1869. However, the Taisho and Showa Emperors still had their coronation ceremonies at Kyōto Gosho. How to get there Kyoto I...

Matsumoto Castle (松本城, Matsumoto-jō?), also known as Fukashi Castle, is a flatland castle and one of Japan's historic castles. Located in the city of Matsumoto, in Nagano Prefecture, it is within easy reach of Tokyo, making it popular with tourists from Japan and other countries. Click here for gallery How to get there The castle is a 15 minute walk or a 5 minute bus ride on the "Town Sneaker" Northern Course bus loop line from JR Matsumoto Station. Click here for map Hours and Admission Admission: 600 Yen Hours: Daily 8:30 to 16:30. Closed from December 29 to January 3. This castle is also called "Crow Castle" because of its black walls and spreading wings. It is an example of a flatland castle, not being built on a hilltop or amid rivers. The castle's origins go back to the Sengoku period. At that time, Shimadachi Sadanaga of the Ogasawara clan built a fort on this site in 1504, which was originally called Fukashi Castle. In 1550, it came under the rule of...