SoraNews24 —Japan News—

Bringing you yesterday's news from Japan and Asia, today.

TOP

» Japan
» The 10 best castles in Japan, as chosen by experts and fans

Featured

Weird
Studio Ghibli
Jobs

The 10 best castles in Japan, as chosen by experts and fans

Casey Baseel Mar 26, 2019
Tweet

Survey results stretch all the way from Hokkaido in the north to Okinawa in the south, with several awesome stops in between.

If you’re travelling in Japan, and you like castles, you’re in luck. According to broadcaster TV Asahi, there are no fewer than 4,000 castles and castles ruins dotting the Japanese landscape.

Actually, maybe that means that if you like castles you’re not in luck, since that’s far too many to cram into one, or even a dozen, trips. Thankfully TV Asahi also asked 10,000 castle fans and experts to rate which is the best in Japan, and the top 10, listed below, are a great place to start before you start working through the remaining 3,990.

10. Hirosaki Castle (Aomori Prefecture)

弘前城。青森県 pic.twitter.com/v7ZqmvSRay

— 死ぬまでに一度は行きたい場所 (@itteokitai) March 23, 2019

One of Japan’s northernmost fortresses, Hirosaki Castle is worth a visit even if you don’t go inside the keep or through the gates. The moat is lined with cherry blossom trees, and in spring it becomes one of the most beautiful places in the country for sakura viewing

9. Nijo Castle (Kyoto)

3/21～4/14，世界遺産・二条城で「二条城桜まつり2019」を開催！約50品種300本の #桜が咲き誇る城内で，春の #二条城をご堪能くださいヾ(*´∀`*)ﾉ夜間観覧では歴史的建造物や桜を #ライトアップし，皆様を幻想的な世界へ誘いますよ☆
⇒https://t.co/u9yamj6yQd #京都 #kyoto pic.twitter.com/z93NdmeIbL

— 【公式】京都市情報館 (@kyotocitykoho) March 19, 2019

Unlike just about every other famous castle in Japan, Nijo Castle was constructed after the end of Japan’s centuries-long civil war, known as the Sengoku Period. Completed in 1679, Nijo Castle was more of a residence for the shogun when he was visiting Kyoto from Edo (present-day Tokyo), and so it has a sprawling villa-like layout and spacious gardens, in stark contrast to the heavily fortified towers and deliberately disorienting pathways of castles built during wartime.

8. Goryokaku (Hokkaido)

#お城総選挙
五稜郭はいってほしいなー！
あのお城は凄いとおもう！！ pic.twitter.com/801XC32v2O

— みすゞ (@nandemo_0kcal) March 23, 2019

Built in 1855, Goryokaku just slides in at the tail-end of Japan’s feudal era, which ended in 1868. While that might technically make it a castle, it’s far more modern in design than the other entries on the list. What it lacks in samurai-era historical cachet, though, it makes up for with a distinctly beautiful star-shaped moat.

7. Takeda Castle (Hyogo Prefecture)

竹田城

所在地：兵庫県朝来市
備考：国の史跡 pic.twitter.com/DtbwzA8vtj

— 一度は行きたい【日本の名城】 (@09oshiro) March 19, 2019

There’s very little left of Takeda Castle, but that’s part of what makes it so worth visiting. Locate high in the mountains midway between Japan’s northern and southern coasts, the castle ruins take on an otherworldly quality when they’re wrapped in the mists and fog of early morning.

6. Nagoya Castle (Aichi Prefecture)

名古屋城６位！
（1枚目2枚目）
健闘しましたねー♪(๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧

郡上八幡城も18位に入ってた♪
3枚目4枚目#お城総選挙 #ファインダー越しの私の世界 pic.twitter.com/7DpCVwpD3I

— 珠璃＊･｡ﾟ♬*゜ (@heliostitanes) March 23, 2019

Nagoya Castle has always been a bit of dichotomy. While just about everyone likes its majestic exterior, the completely modern interior sours the experience for travelers wanting a more direct look at what like was life for the castle’s former inhabitants. Lucky for them, they’ll get that soon enough, as Nagoya Castle, which was reconstructed in concrete following World War II, is set to be rebuilt in wood, just like it was originally.

5. Shuri Castle (Okinawa Prefecture)

#お城総選挙　を実況中継！
第5位は世界遺産・首里城（沖縄県）！
世界で唯一！
中国文化・日本文化・琉球文化をミックスさせた首里城。
歴代国王が眠る玉陵は沖縄初の国宝に指定されました。
珊瑚や貝が固まったサンゴ石灰岩を使った
優美な石垣の曲線にもご注目下さい！#お城総選挙　 #首里城 pic.twitter.com/9qvzgGu3Cf

— 【テレビ朝日公式】外国人がガチで投票！世界アニソン総選挙4月21日（日）よる6時〜3時間SP (@sousenkyo6) March 23, 2019

Okinawan’s Ryukyu culture is a mixture of indigenous traditions and influences on the formerly independent kingdom through its dealings with mainland Japan, China, and other Asian cultures. That extends to Shuri Castle, which is one of the few strongholds in Japan to have a stone courtyard at its center.

4. Kumamoto Castle (Kumamoto Prefecture)

熊本城は僕にとって一番のお城です！ pic.twitter.com/rnEo7JSuVf

— つつみ＠熊本愛 (@tsutsumi_3) March 23, 2019

Kumamoto Castle hasn’t had an easy life. A substantial portion of the fortress was burned down in the Satsuma Rebellion, one of the armed uprisings that broke out as power was taken back from the shogun and restored to the emperor in the late 1800s. The castle has also been damaged by multiple earthquakes, most recently in 2016 when one of its stately steep walls collapsed. Nevertheless, it remains a symbol of the community, and one of the most popular tourist attractions on the island of Kyushu.

3. Matsumoto Castle (Nagano Prefecture)

先週撮りたての松本城をどうぞ
#お城総選挙 pic.twitter.com/2ET6peQLF6

— ∠相模守銀尾 (@kumokili) March 23, 2019

Though it’s been renovated multiple times, Matsumoto Castle’s keep has been standing since the early 1500s, and its especially impressive when viewed along with its reflection in the surrounding moat.

2. Osaka Castle (Osaka Prefecture)

確かに、大阪城とビル群の組み合わせは最高すぎる。。。 pic.twitter.com/UhtImANPYp

— デベロップ (@osaka_deve) March 23, 2019

With an array of skyscrapers visible in the skyline behind it, Osaka Castle is arguably the best visual example of how Japan weaves its traditional past into modern life.

1. Himeji Castle (Hyogo Prefecture)

https://twitter.com/ri__sankaku/status/1109395040881655808

And finally, we take one last trip to Hyogo. Whereas the prefecture’s other entry, Takeda, is largely in ruins, Himeji Castle is widely considered to be the best-preserved castle in all of Japan. That’s partially thanks to the fact that it’s suffered remarkably little damage in the many centuries since it was built. The castle was never besieged during the feudal period and survived the bombing of the city during World War II.

The caste’s pristine condition makes it a popular filming location for both Japanese and foreign productions, and its location, straight down the street and in walkable distance from the Shinkansen stop at Himeji Station, makes it a must-visit not just for travelers staying in the area, but even for those who’re zipping across the country but want to spend a few hours visiting one of the most beautiful remnants of Japan’s samurai era.

Source: Livedoor News/Narinari via Jin
Top image: Wikipedia/Mc681
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!