If you have been following along for a while, it should come as no surprise to you that I love Japanese castles! If you’ve missed the articles and IG posts until now, you may have seen the running tally of how many I’ve been to on the home page for Kristen Abroad. There are so many Japanese castles to visit, where do you start? While there are many not in this category I’d also recommend, if you have limited time for Japanese castle exploration, you really should start with 12 original Japanese castles remaining.

[Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in January of 2019 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.]

Disclosure: Kristenabroad.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and other affiliate programs. For some links to products or services in this article, I may earn a small commission by you using my link.  The price for you is not affected.

現存12天守 Quick Japanese Lesson

While it’s time-consuming thanks to my level of Japanese, I love doing research in Japanese. Though I still owe a debt of gratitude to Wanikani and the Minna no Nihongo series, along with so many other Japanese resources ( including my Japanese sensei at conversation classes)!

The 12 original Japanese castles are actually referring to the original Japanese castle keeps which in Japanese are usually referred to as 現存12天守. And because Japanese fascinates me, you get a quick lesson ;).

• 天守 = Tenshu, or castle tower. This term refers to the main castle keep as in Japanese castle design there are normally other towers on the complex as well. It is also sometimes referred to as “天守閣” or tenshukaku.
• 現存 = Genzon or “existing”. While that is true, they ARE existing, the English makes that somewhat confusing as there are other “Existing” Japanese castles that have been more recently re-constructed.

That said, when you see “the existing 12 Japanese castle keeps”, in Japanese they are referring to the Edo-period and older castles.

National Treasures, Important Cultural Properties, and Other titles

Most of the 12 have multiple designated titles of importance. Japan likes lists of 3 and 100. They all are considered as part of the 100 finest castles of Japan but there’s more that make these the Japanese castles to visit.

We’ll start with world clout. Himeji Castle was designated as Japan’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Nationwide, five of the 12 are considered National Treasures: Hakone, Himeji, Inuyama, Matsue, and Matsumoto. I like to call Inuyama the most pretentious of the bunch. In the other 11 castles, there is a reference to all 12 castles (usually in pictures lining the overhead of the lookout area of the castle). Inuyama? Just shows the five that are designated as National Treasures.

The other 7 are designated “only” as Important Cultural Properties. However, most all are part of the さくら名所100選 (100 Famous Sakura Places – there’s actually 134 locations, we like lists of 100 but they aren’t always exactly 100).

Which is the oldest of the 12 original Japanese castles

I think the funniest is that at least three of them claim “I’m the oldest” somewhere on their property. Keep a lookout for signs, the first one I was at that I saw “oldest” I was so excited. Then I saw it at another and was like, wait a second…

Inuyama is one of them. Hence back to my pretentious joke.

If you go solely by when they were originally made Bitchu-Matsuyama wins hands down with an 11th-century build. However, that was on a neighboring mountain and they moved it to its current location later. The keep itself, the important part of the “which is older” at Bitchu-Matsuyama is younger than the others.

You also have the matter that regardless of when they were originally built, most had at least some fire or damage from war over the years. If you factor in what and how much was rebuilt and when, it starts to get tricky.  And of course, are we talking about the castle or the keep? Which is where I think the good majority comes from.

And Inuyama Castle has them on the keep initial construction start date (yes, you have to be that specific. The oldest castle that started construction on a Tuesday 😉 – I kid).

A general aside: I can’t imagine the amount of work it is to move so much material without the help of modern machines!

On the note of these castles being so old, this is definitely a situation you will need to take your shoes off in Japan for!

Where have all the castles gone?

There was a massive push to building Japanese castles in the late 1500s and early 1600s. I joke that they sent out carrier pigeons because the timing is creepily similar for the spread of land with no mass communication like today. You may have noticed while researching a trip in Japan that Japan is basically the size of the eastern seaboard of America.

There are estimated thousands of castles across Japan at that point. However, once the Tokugawa took over, there was a “一國一城令” or “one country, one castle order”. Lots of the 300 or so daimyo lords across Japan had to consolidate into one castle and the rest destroyed.

During the Meiji Period, there was a force in the works to get rid of all the castles as part of the Meiji restoration, otherwise, we’d have a lot more original Japanese Castles to visit. 

廢城令, or terminate the castle’s decree. Seen as symbols of the old regime, most were dismantled.  Some left just to degrade into disrepair.  Many other original Japanese castles then succumbed to earthquakes or fires or wars.  What we have left today is a testimony to those that stood up for keeping the heritage.  Mostly local movements.

12 Original Japanese Castles to visit and their keeps

Here are the 12 original Japanese castles in alphabetical order, as to not cause contention. If you’ve followed my travels for a while, you know which I think are the best original Japanese castles. Click through to their individual posts for more information on each!

Bitchu Matsuyama Castle (備中松山城）

Bitchu-Matsuyama Castle (備中松山城) to not confuse it with the other Matsuyama castle in the list of original Japanese castles, this one is in Okayama Prefecture.  It is the only one on top of a true mountain and the highest for that reason. Which makes the name even funnier as it’s a ***** to get to.

There’s no easy way to get to the top, even if you get dropped by a taxi you’ll still have a section of the mountain to hike up but it is beautiful when you do. If you are lucky you’ll be above the clouds!

Hikone Castle (彦根城)

One of the national treasures, Hikone Castle (彦根城) is on the smaller side with only a three-tier donjon, however, I’d put it as my second favorite. Located in Shiga Prefecture. It has this beautiful garden and some unique features – like the fact it was made completely out of another near by castle. Talk about recycling!

It was on the docket to have been dismantled as part of the Meiji Restoration but was saved.

Himeji Castle (姫路城)

Considered the largest of the originals, and really, there shouldn’t be contention.  Himeji Castle (姫路城) consists of some 83 buildings and the main keep is a giant 5 stories. Located in Himeji City in Hyogo Prefecture. She’s also one of the National Treasures.

You’ll need a fair amount of time to explore it all, while I’m probably the weirdo that doesn’t place this as number 1 it is still absolutely breathtaking and in my top 3. Luckily, getting to Himeji is super easy as it has its own shinkansen station

Hirosaki Castle (弘前城)

The farthest north of the original 12 Japanese castles to visit in Aomori Prefecture is Hirosaki Castle. It was originally called Takaoka Castle (there’s another one of those in the continuing list of 100 famous Japanese castles) with an original keep that was 5 stories tall that was burned in a fire.

Another of the Tokugawa’s rules was about the size of the keeps so when it was rebuilt, they were only allowed to rebuild a 3 story one.   Hirosaki Castle (弘前城) is currently relocated to reinforce the walls.  A feat in itself.

With Hirosaki Castle off by itself, you’ll definitely want to hit some of the local attractions as well. I love Aomori and Hirosaki is known for all things apples – fruit, pies, curry, random apple decorations, you name it!

Inuyama Castle (犬山城）

The aforementioned pretentious castle, Inuyama Castle (犬山城).  One of the national treasures and self–claimed oldest. Located in Aichi Prefecture.

Don’t miss the shopping street immediately in front of the castle entrance while you are here for some local food and omiyage (souvenir) shopping.

Kōchi Castle（高知城)

One of the newer of the 12 due to a fire that burnt her down.  Kochi Castle (高知城) was still rebuilt before the “cut off” though.  Kochi is the most southern prefecture in Shikoku. Unique to Kochi is that the palace is still remaining and one of the few instances where it was attached to the castle. In fact, ALL of the honmaru (1st bailey) is intact.

It’s honestly quite hard to rank the twelve against each other but this is one of my favorites. The town of Kochi has an interesting history of whale hunting so if that’s something you are against, be forewarned there is a display in a section of the castle for it.

Marugame Castle (丸亀城）

The smallest of the lot but Marugame Castle (丸亀城) still with character. Prepare for a steep hike up the hill to see the keep.  Many of the original walls are still there and famous for the fan shapes. Located on the island of Shikoku in Kagawa Prefecture.

The view out to the sea from the top is pretty amazing. Just are the stone walls, at 60 meters high they are the tallest in Japan.

Maruoka Castle (丸岡城)

Located in Fukui Prefecture, Maruoka Castle (丸岡城) probably has the stretchiest claim to the 12 as it was nearly flattened in an earthquake during last century.  However, they were able to jigsaw her back together with most of her same parts. She’s located in Fukui Prefecture.

Best part about that sketchy claim? She’s another one that claims to be the oldest Japanese castle. Don’t miss her neighboring Kasumigajo park garden, while new, they are still very nice and you can have a cup of green tea or some beer like I did while you enjoy the view.

Matsue Castle (松江城)

The 2nd largest (Matsumoto might fight her on that one), 3rd tallest, and 5th oldest, Matsue Castle (松江城) is also the farthest west on mainland Japan in Matsue, Shimane Prefecture.

Matsue and neighboring Tottori have so much to see (don’t miss the sand dunes, sand dune museum, and another of the 100 famous castles, Tottori Castle).

Matsumoto Castle (松本城)

One of the five National Treasures. Matsumoto Castle (松本城) is also one of the contenders for the oldest. Oh, you know how Inuyama only shows the 5 national treasures on display and ignore the other 7? Yeah, Matsumoto doesn’t give a !@#$ about the other 11. Winner of most pretentious! 🙂

Matsumoto Castle from the outside looks like 5 stories but on the inside it is actually 6. It also has the feature that it is multiple towers smushed next to each other. Nicknamed the “Crow castle” for its black exterior, its large moat makes for some spectacular photos.

Another town that you’ll want to spend some time walking around the city in. Lots of older buildings and some great beer to check out as well.

Matsuyama Castle (松山城）

I know I said I wouldn’t mention my favorite, but this is it! Matsuyama Castle (松山城) takes the cake of any of them. Even Himeji which is probably the most widely known. Located on Shikoku in Ehime prefecture.

Fun fact: Ehime is the only Prefecture with more than one of the 12 original Japanese castles to visit.

Uwajima Castle (宇和島城)

Uwajima Castle (宇和島城) is definitely a baby castle but worth the visit as it finishes out the 12! Located in Ehime Prefecture as well, but still, a bit of a ride from Matsuyama, especially if it is like when I went and hue amounts of rain had taken out part of the train tracks.

Stamp Rally

Don’t forget to get your guidebook to add these to your stamp rally for the 100 Finest Castles of Japan!  The designation set by the Japan Castle Foundation in 2006 and further in 2017.

12 Original Japanese Castles Map

As you can see by the below map, you aren’t going to be hitting these all in one day! Frankly, I love how much they are spread out because it gives you the opportunity to see so much more of this beautiful country.

Original Japanese Castles Hiking Courses

It is super easy to get exercise in Japan with all the walking around you can do. Having such a great public transportation system (between the buses, trains, and shinkansen) helps that. But also the general “culture” of Japan. Case in point – hiking courses (we’d call them trails but it’s courses in Japan). Most all Japanese castles to visit have courses mapped out for you already. Or you can make your own with your fitness device, I love my Garmin Fenix 6s.

Not that you necessarily need an extra route to hike when some of these castles are massive! But if you are staying in a particular city for a few days, I’d suggest giving it a go, there are always beautiful views and random artifacts hidden around.

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As someone who never a day in her life in America rode a bus, they can be intimidating. Sure, I used the subway or metro in bigger cities, but let’s face it, America’s public transportation sucks. Generally speaking, if you are using buses in Japan, you aren’t going somewhere easy (otherwise you’d be on a train, but we’ll also touch on highway buses!).  If it’s a mile away, I’ll walk, but start getting farther out, you really do need a bus. Throw in a very complicated written language, like Japanese, it’s even scarier. So here are 5 tips for using the bus that I hope helps you on your way!

[Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in October of 2018 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.]

Disclosure: Kristenabroad.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and other affiliate programs. For some links to products or services in this article, I may earn a small commission by you using my link.  The price for you is not affected.

5 tips for using buses in Japan

The key to remember is the more practice you have, the more comfortable you will become with using buses in Japan. While kanji can make it a bit more intimidating than other places, more and more buses in Japan are becoming more foreign-friendly with English (and normally Chinese) being used for the signs.

1) How to save money on buses in Japan

Remember when I talked about Pasmo and Suica pre-pay cards?  As long as you aren’t in the boonies, this is the easiest way to go.  You are receiving a small discount by using them, however, if you are somewhere that doesn’t do cards and you’re near the bus depot, pay for the roundtrip (if you are only going one place), you’ll save a few dollars depending on how far you’re going!  

When we took the 45–minute bus ride to Takayama Inari Shrine it was 900 yen one way.  Or 1500 yen round trip.  Something to check, because if you are going round trip anyway, you may as well save a bit!

In cities, often time there is flat rates or bus passes you can get.  Check at the bus station or tourist information center (my must when traveling in Japan) when you get there. A great way to get around Hirosaki and many other cities are the tourist “loop buses”.

2) How to navigate WHICH buses in Japan to use

This is the hard part.  Sometimes there is a whole army of buses at the depot heading off in different directions.  The best starting point is to look up where you are going.  If they have a website, they usually have an “access” page.  If they require a bus to get to them, you’ll be able to check which stop you are looking for, and hopefully, what bus line. 

As, like trains, there are multiple different options.  As far as knowing which stop it is, they are all actually named, and even farther out, they’ll have the name in English characters.  If you are worried about signaling to stop though (there are usually red buttons to press), it is helpful to know what the Kanji looks like as it will appear first.

Next, it’s just a matter to figure out what “platform” or bus name to look for.  Anywhere I’ve been that requires buses in Japan, I make sure to explain that in detail as I know I get stressed out by it so I want to make it as easy as possible for you! Getting to Ryusendo Caves coming to mind.

Lastly, where to get off the bus.  If there was a bus terminal, they should be able to provide you with a time schedule.  Though on roads, they are surprisingly close to the time expected. Yes, even the buses in Japan are punctual! If you have a phone with data (it would be nice if all transportation had WiFi!), you can also google map it to give you a better idea.

3) Reading bus schedules in Japan

There are apps for bus routes but best I’ve been able to find, they are all in Japanese.  Google-san (as it’s called in Japan) is your friend and is doing a better job with including bus routes as a direction option.

For routes, remember that they can differ between 休日 (kyuujitsu, “holidays”) and 平日 (heijitsu, weekdays). 休日 you will normally see listed as “休日 (土　日　祝日)” which means “Holiday (Saturday – Sunday – National Holiday)”. In this case, 土曜, Saturday, is shortened to 土, as 曜 (day) is understood.

If time tables between week days and week ends are different, you will see one of these characters at the top of the column. They normally change the color of the column as well to make it stand out.

This next graphic is a simplistic schedule. If weekday also included a 14:44 bus, for instance, there would be a “44” in the next column from the “24”. Note that not all areas will have English like this one, so it is helpful to learn the kanji or have screenshots of what you are looking for.

4) Getting on and off buses in Japan

Generally, you’ll get on from the back door of the bus but that’s not always the case. One hint, if both doors open, use the rear one.  Some queue lines are very exact and will give you an idea as well because the door will open right at the front of the line.  It’s Japan, we queue for everything.

If you are using a PASMO or other IC card (if that’s an option where you are), you’ll see a PASMO sensor to tap, just tap on and off the bus.  If you are somewhere that needs a ticket or to pay by cash, there will be a number dispenser.  This will be used to verify where you got on (though no one will actually check it). You will see a white piece of paper out of a machine, just grab one as you are getting onboard.

In this picture above, immediately next to the driver is where you pay.  Left of that is the dispenser for what stop you got on. They are in number order but don’t really refer to anything besides that. And in the overhead is the display board.

There will be a screen at the top of the buses in Japan, the price will change as you continue on the way.  Watch what it is for your number and you will drop your number and the exact amount of money in the machine when you step off the bus at your destination.  The machine in which you put your money also has the ability to change bills as necessary generally.  However, it’s a good idea to carry lots of change if you are somewhere that requires riding buses in Japan.

5) Getting back – not missing your bus

Assuming you are returning from where you departed the bus, it’s a good idea to double check the time table.  Even if you got one from the bus terminal.  I generally like to get back 5-10 minutes before the bus is expected in areas where they don’t run often.  They are punctual, but you never know if you might be the one running late!  If you’re getting on at a different location, definitely give yourself some time to locate the bus stop to save yourself some stress.

In this example, there are three bus routes that stop at this stand.  The hours are listed down the left-hand column and the minutes (in the corresponding hour) are listed in the columns per bus.

How to use Highway Buses in Japan

(At updating this article, the highway buses in Japan are currently suspended due to COVID-19 but hopefully, we can use them again soon!)

Highway buses (高速バス, kousoku bus) are often cheaper than taking the train (especially if you’d be taking the shinkansen) to your destination. They are good for medium and long distances. Many longer routes will run overnight, getting you to your destination first thing in the morning. Which works really well for getting to ski resorts, which is the instance I’ve used highway buses in Japan the most. They are also a good option if you tend to get train sick.

For long distance travel for the budget minded traveler in Japan, the overnight options can be great for you as you don’t have to worry about finding lodging – you just sleep on the bus.

You can use Kousoku Bus Net to search for highway bus routes in Japan. You can also save some money by getting one of the highway bus passes.

One of the nice things about highway buses in Japan is that there is room underneath for your luggage, but usually, you are limited to a few items. If there aren’t restrooms onboard, the bus driver will make stops along the way at the highway stations (more on those later).

To purchase your tickets, head to the bus station (normally co-located with train stations, but can have separate hubs like in Iwakuni). You can also purchase them from kiosks in convenience stores.

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Personally, I still don’t like buses.  I much prefer trains and walking (got to rank up my steps with my Garmin Fenix 6S after all!).  However, it’s a necessary evil sometimes. Hopefully, this helps put your mind at ease a bit while traveling around Japan.  There’s also this thing called highway buses in Japan, which I would liken to greyhound buses in the states, that will be a different topic.

What’s your experience with buses around the world?

15 minutes on the Shinkansen or 50 minutes on the JR Sanyo line from Hiroshima and you will find yourself in the city of Iwakuni in Yamaguchi Prefecture. Great for a day trip after you’ve explored Miyajima and Hiroshima, especially if you have a thing for Japanese castles.

Disclosure: Kristenabroad.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and other affiliate programs. For some links to products or services in this article, I may earn a small commission by you using my link.  The price for you is not affected.

Getting to Iwakuni

If you are making max dollar value use of a JR Rail Pass (and/or just going for the time savings), you’ll want to take the JR Sanyo Shinkansen Line to Shin-Iwakuni Station (新岩国駅). Make sure if you are looking at Hyperdia (my train schedule app of choice, for that and lots of other info about trains, check here) you put “SHIN”-Iwakuni, otherwise you’ll 1) not be on the shinkansen and 2) not be close to the sights! This is the best option if you are coming from further out than Hiroshima.

To get to the sights, you’ll want to get on a local bus heading towards Kintaikyo Bus Terminal. The buses are right outside the shinkansen station. Or if you want a bit of hike/walk, it’s about 5 km. If you are making this a day trip, even though I walk super fast, I suggest the bus. There is a ton to see!

Your other option from Hiroshima is to take the (nearly 5 times!) slower local JR Sanyo line to JR Iwakuni Station (no precursor this time) which hugs the water a bit more. At JR Iwakuni, switch trains to the JR Gantoku Line and get off at JR Nishi-Iwakuni. It’s slower but costs 1/4 the price, so it will depend if you have the JR rail pass at your disposal or care about the difference – time is money after all. From there you can walk just over a mile or take the bus to Kintaikyo Bus Terminal, in this case, they are about the same time-wise.

Honke Matsugane Visitor Center

If you’ve been following along, you know that one of my first stops while traveling in Japan is the local visitor center. You can see what events are happening and get an idea of anything you might have missed when researching ahead of time.

However, this visitor center isn’t just for pamphlets. Honke Matsugane was originally a shop from the mid-1800s for hair oils used to harden the top knot of samurai. They refurbished it so you can get a feel for the times, there are some other older buildings close by to admire as well!

Inside you’ll also find some information about the local history and there are cultural events as well as the ability to try some local food and sake (for a fee). It’s on the same side of the river as the bus terminal so you’ll want to start here.

Public restrooms are honestly really easy to find in Japan and aren’t charged normally (unless you are climbing Mount Fuji) but if you need one, there is one here!

Kintaikyo (錦帯橋)

You will have seen Kintaikyo (錦帯橋) on your way to the visitor center. Time to see it up close and personal!

Kintaikyo (錦帯橋) or Kintai Bridge as it would be in English (bridge in Japanese 橋, can be pronounced “bashi” or “kyo”) is one of the most famous bridges in Japan, if not the world. As we like to have lists of top 3 (and top 100 for that matter) in Japan, Kintaikyo makes the list of 日本三名橋 (Nihon Sanmeikyo, Three Famous Bridges of Japan).

Your daily trivia from Kristen Abroad: What are the top 3 bridges of Japan? Kintaikyo (錦帯橋); Meganebashi (眼鏡橋) in Nagasaki; and the Nihonbashi (日本橋) in Tokyo. While those last two are sometimes contested, Kintaikyo is always on the “list”. Perhaps that contention is why there are also top 3 lists for the three oldest bridges and 3 strangest (which Kintaikyo is also on)! There are also three top sacred bridges…I’m going to stop researching…

What we now know as Kintaikyo (it’s had several names over the years) is the result of trial and error. The third lord (more on him in a bit) was tired of the bridge being washed away due to its wooden posts, and let’s face it, a lot of water coming through from the mountains. When Kintaikyo was built in 1673 with stone, it was cutting-edge technology and prized as “the bridge that would never be washed away”.

Which is ironic, as it did during a flood the following year. But with some tweaks to the construction, they got it right and there it stood for nearly 300 years when a monster typhoon hit in 1950. (It didn’t help it was in slight disrepair after being neglected during WWII).

The five arched bridge you see today was rebuilt by the people of Iwakuni in 1953 and further restored in 2004. The original use was to connect the two sides of the castle town that spanned the Nishiki river in the middle. But it wasn’t necessarily a complete convenience as the people of the area had to pay 橋でまえ (hashidemae, before the bridge) tax to keep up the bridge. It’s made of wood after all, very easy to rot. Which to be fair, you are kind of paying something similar with your admission fee!

As if the top 3 designation wasn’t enough for this beauty, in 2020, it was designated as an illuminated Night View Heritage (ライトアップ夜景遺産). There are four different “types” of night view heritages with a total of 226 in the country, more on that another time. It was also in 2020 designated as one of the top 100 moon views in the country (we love our lists of 100 here in Japan!). They are actually still working on completing the entire list but Iwakuni between Kintaikyo and the castle is number 54.

I recommend getting the combo pass for the bridge, ropeway, and castle entrance fees which you can get at the entrance to the Kintai Bridge for 970 yen (about $9 USD). This will save you a bit of money.

How to get to Iwakuni Castle: Ropeway or Hike?

Since the package deal on admissions you may have bought at the bridge include the ropeway and castle, we’ll discuss this first, as to get there you have to walk through or near many of the other things to see in Iwakuni.

The amount of activities I’m presenting to you doesn’t necessarily bode well for a hike added in time-wise if you are trying to do just a day trip, but if you’d like the extra exercise, it’s completely doable. Per All Trails, there are actually two ways up. The super steep option near the ropeway or a more leisurely slope. Either way, you’ll be connecting with the trail at the top to walk to the castle.

If it’s not too cold, I love hiking in my Teva Verra Sandal. They are low profile and lightweight. And yes, I’m a weirdo that hikes in sandals! They work great for urban hiking as well. Otherwise, I stick to my Merrell Vapor Gloves. As a side note, it’s always a good idea to have an umbrella on you in Japan, just in case. Especially if it is during the rainy season. For a daypack to carry things in, I’m an Osprey girl through and through, they have plenty of sizes to go with but I usually find the 13L option to be sufficient. Especially when I’m using a “hub” location, like Okayama to keep my stuff at.

If you don’t want to hike the 200 meters up Yokoyama mountain, you can try the ropeway! And as mentioned, the package will save you on the up and back trip. The ropeway runs every 20 minutes and takes just 3 minutes to get to the top. On clear days you can see out to the islands on the Seto Inland Sea which is beautiful (I even saw them on a cloudy/rainy day), including Miyajima.

If you decide to hike, paying for the bridge and castle separately ends up being around the same price as the package of the three.

Iwakuni Castle (岩国城)

Once you’re at the top by the ropeway, it’s a fairly short walk over to Iwakuni Castle. You’ll be heading right if you were looking at the mountain from the bottom and there are two paths to get there. I suggest doing it as a loop so you can see more, like the well on the backside of the mountain from town.

One of the 100 finest castles of Japan, Iwakuni Castle was built from 1603-1608 (what did I say about them all being built around the same time?). However, it didn’t make it to 10 years old on top of its perch on Yokoyama.

Not all castles are lost in wars or burned from fires, by the way. When the Tokugawa Feudal Government was put into place in Japan they passed a “One Castle per One Province Order”. It was strictly enforced so a good chunk of the castles were removed by this going into place. The ruins remained after all this time though and in the 1950s, along with all the other castle rebuilding, Iwakuni was done up.

Funnily though, they decided to move the castle about 50 meters from its original location so that you could see it from Kintaikyo below. Makes a better postcard, I suppose. They did some reconstruction work on the original foundation so you can get a feel for it when you visit.

Some of the original walls leading to the castle were never taken down though so you can still see those. I learned from one of the signs that it seems it was the lord “sticking it” to the policy under the guise of “it will fall down otherwise” and was left for the support of the embankments which makes me laugh.

Mechanical Clock (からくり時計) and Walking loop

On top of the mountain while you are waiting for your ropeway trip back down, try and catch one of the mechanical clock performances that happen every 15 minutes or so. The dolls inside will move and it plays music that is important to Iwakuni.

While I didn’t end up going, there is a walking loop towards the other side of the mountain as well with some other views. I considered those from the castle and the ropeway landing sufficient but who knows, I might have missed out! Next time, as I always say ;).

Kikko Park (吉香公園)

I could have just as easily listed these next couple of things before the castle, as you have to walk through Kikko Park to get to the ropeway. Whichever floats your boat! I’d choose based on the current weather to ensure some good views.

The Kikko Park is at the base of the “mountain” that holds Iwakuni Castle (200 meters isn’t very high). It is the former residence of the feudal lord and after you’ve passed over the Kintai Bridge, you’ll see a statue of a stately man – because Japan loves statues. This gentleman is Kikkawa Hiroyoshi, the third lord and also the one that started the bridge construction of stone.

Kikko Park was named one of the 100 top historical parks in the country (what did I say about lists of 100?). There’s actually a lot more than 100 now but who’s counting? They were on the original list.

Cormorant (ウミウ) and Festivals

A traditional way of fishing in the Nishiki river which flows under the Kintai Bridge is to use cormorant. A very large bird that you can see at the Cormorant Facility near the base of Yokoyama in Kikko Park.

Fishermen on barges burn fires on these long poles to attract the fish and use the birds to help catch them. It’s like they are walking a dog, but it’s a bird in the water with a leash around its neck. It dives down and grabs a fish, if they get one, the fisherman pulls the bird into the boat and gets the fish out of its mouth.

As someone who used to fish, it’s quite fascinating. In the summertime evenings, you can see this method, called 鵜飼い (ukai) in action. I’ve only seen the videos, I want to see the festival! They have boats you can get a spot on to see it up close!

You can also take rides at other times of the year (and surprisingly for me who loves boat rides, I left that one for the next time I’m in Iwakuni!).

Just for good measure, Iwakuni is also one of the 100 best cherry blossom viewing spots in Japan if you happen to be there in Spring time. The trees line the river and many are in Kikko Park.

Kagawa Family Nagayamon (香川家長屋門)

Designated a cultural asset of the prefecture (not national like others), this gate and the two surrounding tenement houses are thought to date back to 1690. The Kagawa family was the minister of Iwakuni’s Lord Kikkawa. The architecture is a typical example of what you would see in a samurai house and with views of Kikko park, it is quite lovely.

The residence is still used (!) so you can’t see inside but you can see the gate at least.

Kikkawa Family Archives (吉川家文書)

In a stately looking building (similar to the gate above), you can see a museum which has a collection of about 7,000 historical materials, arts and crafts, which have been handed down through the Kikkawa family, which has a history of 800 years.

The Kikkawa family was a samurai clan, probably most famously that one of them was a general of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the Japanese shogun that was the “great unifier” of Japan.

The documents themselves are designated as important cultural assets. If you don’t have time though, the building by itself is quite beautiful.

Former Mekada Residence (旧目加田家住宅)

When the Kikkawa’s came to Iwakuni, so did the Mekada’s. For some more history of the area, check out this middle-class samurai residence, designated as an Important National Cultural Property in 1974. It is believed to be built in the 18th century and one of the few remaining “middle class” samurai homes (there’s plenty of “upper class” ones, I suppose).

You can’t go inside it but it is free to walk around the property.

Kikko Shrine (吉根神社)

Kikko Shrine was built to enshrine the 吉川氏 (Kikkawa) family spirits. Originally built in 1728, it was moved to its current position in 1885. It was the Kikkawa family residence until the clans were abolished, after that it became government offices which is pretty common, most castle grounds have government offices on them now! Those offices were moved shortly thereafter and that’s when the shrine was moved. Oh, and when I say residence, think a palace like Kawagoe’s.

The Kinunkaku 錦雲閣 building which is a 絵馬堂 (emadou), or a place where votive picture tablets are hung, sits on the corner of the shrine and is picture-perfect with the surrounding moat waters. It was built in 1885 and is one of the Important Cultural Properties (重要文化財) at the shrine (several of the buildings have this designation).

If shrines are your thing, there are plenty of small ones in the area as well.

Local foods of Iwakuni Japan

There are tons of local ice cream shops, some with 100 different flavor choices but if you want a real taste of Iwakuni, you should try their own traditional sushi which is layers of rice and locally sourced lotus root and fish, very similar to Okayama’s local sushi delicacy. The town tourism board has this convenient walking map of all the sushi restaurants. A few are on the second floor overlooking Kintaikyo! The area is also famous for lotus root.

Looking for a street food option? Get a lotus croquettes – which if you haven’t discovered Japanese croquettes yet, they are so delicious! While the croquettes are “street food”, general etiquette in Japan has you stand and eat near where you purchased it, vice walking around and eating.

Personally, I ended up going for Japanese curry near the station at a cafe called “Cafe and Curry Alice”. They cook their blend of 30 spices for three days before serving it up. And you probably have figured by now that I love Japanese curry, whether it’s a chain like Cocoichiban or a mom-and-pop establishment.

This one was delicious, I had the 石焼き (ishiyaki) or baking that’s done with hot stones. It’s similar to the hot lava bowl usually used for bibimbap, Korea’s mixed rice with meat and veg. So I normally call it Japan’s bibimbap when I see it. Completely different than you normally see Japanese curry presented. Served in a blazing hot stone bowl, the rice on the edges gets nice and crispy. Just make sure not to burn your mouth!

Where to find Iwakuni Souvenirs or Omiyage

In Japanese culture, you purchase omiyage (お土産) as a gift or souvenir when you travel somewhere for your family and even your co-workers. They are normally local specialty products and you will see omiyage stores all over the place when you are traveling in Japan.

If you are looking for some in Iwakuni, I found the shop at the bus stop had a good selection. There is also a small restaurant there to try out some of the local foods if you didn’t already decide on somewhere else.

Heading on? See JR Nishi-Iwakuni Station

If you took the shinkansen into Iwakuni and have the time to take the slow train to your next destination, instead of riding the bus back to JR Shin-Iwakuni station, take it the other direction to JR Nishi-Iwakuni Station. Or as I mentioned in the section on how to get there, it’s an easy walk! Why? Because JR Nishi-Iwakuni is a 登録有形文化財 or Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan.

If you want a big “bucket list”, go with these, there are a few thousand ;).

It reached such designation because it helps contribute to Japan’s historical esthetic. If architecture is your thing, check it out.

Other things in Iwakuni to extend your trip

Technically everything above already is a jam packed day and if you don’t get an early start, you might need more than a day anyway! However, they aren’t the only things in the area. I am always one for “leaving something for next time”, so here are a few things that are on my bucket list for Iwakuni.

And of course, if one of these fits your mood better, pick and choose what works best for you!

• Take a sake brewery tour. Murashige Sake Brewery is located close to the shinkansen station. They have Japan’s largest 杉玉 or sugidama which is the cedar balls you see outside of sake breweries. As best I can tell, it’s their goal to keep that so I’d go just for that even. There is also Sakai Sake Brewing 酒井酒造 and Asahi Shuzo 旭酒造 which makes Dassai sake, one of the leading in the world.
• Visit Iwakuni Art Museum (now called Kashiwahara Museum) located immediately next to the ropeway. I had originally planned on going but then had lofty goals of hitting Kokura Castle at the north end of Kyushu (not in the original plan but I free flow most of the time anyway) and so it didn’t actually fit into my trip. Its collection of thousands of artifacts and art contains a National Treasure Katana and tons of samurai weapons and armor to keep you busy.
• Enjoy the views of Iwakuni while relaxing in an onsen. While hot spring baths are amazing in general, it is such a treat when there is also a view!
• Try 高森和牛 (Takamori Wagyu). There are three top kinds of beef (三大和牛, yes, that three-thing again): most American’s know of Kobe, but there are “named” beef’s all around the country. Takamori has won many awards over the years and is famous for being rare. Only a few hundred cattle a year are produced to very stringent standards.
• Hike Jakuchikyo for one of the 100 best waters (名水百選) and 100 best waterfalls of Japan (日本の滝百選)… if you haven’t figured out Japan loves numbered things yet! But it does make for good lists of things to do already curated for you based on your interests. Now that I’ve hit my goal of visiting every prefecture, I’m working towards hitting every one of the 200 top castles in Japan. If castles are your thing, I suggest starting with the remaining original 12 castles of Japan.

Things to do in Yamaguchi Prefecture

I don’t think Yamaguchi gets enough love, there is pleny on my list to see here. So for some ideas for you, it’s not close to Iwakuni but is in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Akiyoshido Cave is way up on my list after loving Ryusendo Cave so much. Akiyoshido is the largest limestone cave in Japan.

Like I said with Takayama Inari Shrine, Fushimi Inari-taisha (伏見稲荷大社) isn’t the only shrine with “1000 torii” experiences. Motonosumi Inari Shrine leads down to the sea and just looks absolutely amazing.

And with that, I hope this post gives you the information you need to have the utmost best day trip to Iwakuni or gives you some ideas for a longer adventure. Heck, even if you are just here for the wanderlust, I hope you enjoyed it!

I can’t wait to hear about your experiences!

Oh, Japan. Land of got-to-collect-them-all, including hundreds of castles in varying levels of existence.  There are thousands of ruins from almost indistinguishable mounds to castle walls with no castle structures.  Most of the castle keep structures are reconstructions but there is the crème de la crème, 12 original castles from the pre-Meiji era. The 100 Famous Castles in Japan (日本百名城, Nihon Hyaku Meijō) were chosen by the Japan Castle Foundation (日本城郭協会, Nihon Jōkaku Kyōkai) followed by another 100 after that! When you have so many to check off your list, how do you keep track of them all? Why, a castle stamp rally, of course!

[Editors Note: This post was originally published in December of 2018 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy, and comprehensiveness.]

Japan and Numbered Rankings

Hundreds of years ago, a Confucian scholar created clickbait before it was even a thing! I just made that up but it’s conveniently similar. As he traveled Japan he named the three best views of Japan (日本三景, nihonsankei). Itsukushima Shrine is one of them and since then there have been countless “Best three of Japan” in various categories.

Legit. As in these are not to be contested. They are the best.

Top 3 gardens (Kairakuen in Mito, Ibaraki; Kenrokuen in Kanazawa, Ishikawa; and Kōrakuen in Okayama, Okayama); Top three big buddhas (三大大仏, sandai-daibutsu, you’ve seen me talk about Todaiji in Nara and you’ll soon hear about Kamakura and Takaoka’s as I’ve been to them as well); and so many others. Three great onsens, caves (Ryusendo is amazing), shrines of all sects (and of course Fushimi Inari in Kyoto is one), night views.

Name it. They exist.

Well, there’s also a thing with the number 100. We’ll blame that one on the Billboard Top 100 but I honestly don’t know if they are correlated. What started as the 100 top mountains in Japan (as best I can tell it was the first and of course Mount Fuji is number one) has since spread to other aspects.

Great way to make a book. An even better way to entice a massive tourism industry! Start with the peaks, move on to the 100 best shrines, 100 best spots to view cherry blossoms, 100 best parks, and then we have the 100 best castles.

Japan Castle Foundation (日本城郭協会)

The Japan Castle Foundation (日本城郭協会, Nihon jyoukaku kyoukai) was founded in 昭和31年4月 (April of Showa 31 or 1956 for the rest of the world) by a bunch of academics for knowledge sharing and cultural exchange. They aren’t just about Japan castles, they also study castles around the world. Along with the 100 Famous Castles in Japan and the Continued 100 Famous Castles in Japan, they also have a list of 100 Famous castles in Europe.

In Showa 67 (1965), the Ministry of Education acknowledged them as an organization and as such were given a budget. On their 40th anniversary as a foundation, a project to commemorate the event was started. Deciding on the top 100 Famous castles in Japan to promote.

Kochi Castle, one of the 100 Famous Castles in Japan and remaining original constructions

The 100 Famous Castles in Japan (日本百名城, Nihon Hyaku Meijō)

Don’t ask me why or when I started but I normally prefer translating “百名” as “hundred finest” as opposed to “hundred famous” (as what it literally is) but I think it has a better ring to it. But alas, you’ll see in a second why famous is a better fit.

For several months in 2005, they reached out to residents to give recommendations of one to five top castles in each prefecture. From the applications, a panel of castle experts met to decide the fate.

Honestly, I bet there was a huge debate over some of them! Only 5 max a prefecture?! By the Japan Castle Foundations prediction, there are probably somewhere in the range of 40-50 THOUSAND castle remains in Japan.

For the selection process from all of the entries, each castle had to meet one of the following three criteria to be considered one of the famous castles in Japan.

• Being an excellent cultural property or historical site (think world heritage Himeji Castle or one of the National Treasure like Hikone Castle)
• Played a prominent role in history (not all castles saw battle)
• Are representative of an era or region

That last one gets me because I’m sure they all in some way represent their regions. After all, a giant majority of Japan’s cities started as castle towns! But remember, your prefecture gets five max! The discussions of what made each better than the next must-have been fascinating.

To help make sure the rankings weren’t biased by people’s favorite castles, they brought in experts in various fields such as architecture, archeology, civil engineering, and history to level the playing field. 

Kakegawa Castle – No. 42 of the 100 Famous Castles in Japan, is an easy trip from Osaka or Tokyo! It was rebuilt using original construction methods and Kakegawa also has one of the few remaining palaces in Japan.

One thing to note, though they are labeled 1 to 100 the 100 famous castles in Japan are not in rank order but numbered according to the location from North to South and East to West. There are some slight variations to that but for the most part, it works.

Continued 100 Famous Castles in Japan (続日本100名城)

In 2017, as part of their 50th anniversary of the founding of the castle foundation, they created an additional 100 list. 続日本100名城, Zoku Nihon Hyaku-Meijō. Continuation of the 100 castles to help further promote castle, and therefore history, discovery.

Personally I think it was also a ploy to promote more tourism around the country, but I’ll take it! The conditions were the same and again, they went out to each prefecture for submissions but this time they also asked the Japan Castle Foundation members, and those that had been going to the original list of 100 castles.

So, if you like castles, you have 200 stamps to go collect. And don’t forget those other 40,000 castles (yes, thousand) potential castles in Japan. Like a third Matsuyama Castle hidden in the hills near the Yoshimi Caves in Saitama.

Disclosure: Kristenabroad.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program in which I may earn a small commission by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.  Price to you is not affected! It helps me do what I love, share Japan with you!

12 Pre-Meiji Era Castle Keeps in Japan

While they are often referred to as the 12 original castles in Japan, this sentiment applies to the original construction of 12 castle main keeps still in existence today. The Japanese term for them is 現存天守 (genson tenshu).

What’s with there only being 12? Well, when things are made of wood… it’s easier to burn down! Not to mention the deconstruction of many castles during the Meiji Era (more on that in a bit) and well,… bombings.

If you are seeing this list of 100 castles and thinking “Oh god, how will I ever get through that list on my trip to Japan?!”, I highly recommend you start with the 12. If you are going to call any famous castles in Japan – it’s these!

That being said, they also are spread throughout the islands of Honshu and Shikoku but that just gives you an excellent way to make the most out of your Japan Rail Pass! You’ll also get to the experience of riding on Japan’s fastest shinkansen (or bullet train) if you follow my suggestions on how to get to Aomori to see Hirosaki Castle.

As one of my must-do missions, I have focus posts on all of them so make sure to check out this post about the 12 remaining original castle keeps of Japan.

Where did all the Japanese castles go? Meiji Restoration

You may have heard of Commodore Perry taking a fleet of American warships and knocking on Japan’s door, so to speak, in 1853 to open up the borders. This was the start of the end of Japan’s isolation from the world. You see, during the Tokugawa shogunate run period of Edo, they cut off Japan near completely.

However, as their power was getting weaker, there was a movement to restore the imperial throne. There was always an emperor, the Chrysanthemum Throne is the longest-running hereditary monarchy in the world! But the shogunate was calling the shots. Anyway, Emporer Meiji (hence it being called “Meiji Restoration”) was reinstated and they had to make sure they knew who was boss.

So they systematically dismantled near all of the existing Japanese castles that acted as the dwelling place of the shogunate rulers.

There’s lots to learn about castles in Japan!

How to become a castle expert

If you are familiar with the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT), this set up is going to sound similar. In order to further promote the castles in Japan and “lifelong learning”, a test was created to challenge people’s knowledge. It started in November of 2012 and has been growing in size with over 20,000 people taking it! There are now five levels of the test.

• Level 4, Beginners with an average passing rate of 96.7% has general knowledge of the famous castles in Japan
• Level 3, Elementary level with a more detailed understanding of construction, history and culture mostly focused on the 100 famous castles in Japan but also has questions from the continued list
• Level 2, Intermediate level has a deep understanding of the particulars of the 200 famous castles in Japan
• Semi-Level 1 (that’s just funny to me), Difficult level in which you are a つわもの or warrior returning to the castle (literally, that’s how they describe it!). It’s themed every year
• Level 1, Expert level. You’ve made it! You’re an expert!

It starts out with questions like “What’s the only pre-Meiji castle remaining in Tohoku?” (Answer: Hirosaki Castle) and raises in difficulty to things like “Castle X was decorated with paper lanterns to see which missionary off?” (I’m not bothering with that full question example because, what?!).

The test is administered twice a year in Fukuoka, Himeji, Nagoya, Osaka, Sendai, and Tokyo.

For some of the basics on Japanese castles, keep reading!

Types of Castles in Japan

If it looks like a castle, talks like a castle and walks like a castle… ok, maybe not walks. Japanese castle structure is very distinctive from the rest of the world.

The geography can play a big role in each design. There are three main types

• 山城 (yamashiro) or mountain castles
• 平山城 (hirayamashiro) or flat mountain castles, these are on hills on a plain
• 平城 (hirashiro) or castle on the plains

With the obvious advantage to the mountain and flat mountain castles for their defensive structures. However, castles on plains have their places as well and often would be incorporated into nearby waterways for an automatic moat.

Layout and Structures of Japanese Castles

There are many components that make up a Japanese castle. You may think when planning your trip around Japan that you don’t need much time in a castle. Believe me, some of them can take you all day! And you don’t want to miss out on some really cool features and even museums that many of them have!

Castle Keep

What most people think of as “THE CASTLE” for Japan is usually the 天守 (tenshu) or castle tower/keep (also called a donjon). There are four main types and my absolute favorite is Matsuyama Castle with its square design and center courtyard.

• 独立式天守, Independent Castle Tower.
• 複合式天守, Compound Castle Tower which has a 付櫓 or attached tower with the main tower
• 連絡式天守, Contact Type Castle Tower. That one doesn’t translate very well. It has a main castle tower with a 渡櫓 or crossing tower (think like a hallway) connecting to another 小天守 or smaller castle tower
• 連立式天守, Coalition Castle Tower. Think of this one as having a courtyard in the middle. A main castle keep with three smaller castle towers connected by hallway towers.

Looking from the outside of castles in Japan, they vary in “levels” usually from 3 to 6. The part of a Japanese castle that makes it look like a layer cake. But the amount of floors inside might be very different from what you see on the exterior!

Be cautious in the older castles, and even some of the remakes, the staircases are more like what you would see on a Navy ship. More ladder than stairs. Why is this? If the enemy made it inside it was harder to move up the floors!

It should be noted that a good majority of castles in Japan no longer have a tenshu. It was the symbol of power and usually the thing to go during the Meiji Restoration.

If you’re looking for the full effect, make sure to choose one that either from the pre-Meiji era (my recommendation if you are limited on time) or for a rebuilt one. On that note, not all rebuilds are created equal! Most are just concrete facades housing museums. Kakegawa and Kanazawa are two options for new builds using old construction techniques.

Citadels

If you aren’t as familiar with castle terminology, think of the citadels or baileys as the areas protected by the castle walls. Of which you can have multiple layers of defense.

The castle towers are located in the 本丸 (hon-maru) or inner citadel/bailey. There are generally two more baileys, 二の丸 (ni-no-maru, literally ‘second circle’) and 三の丸 (san-no-maru, third circle) in most castles but it’s not limited. They don’t always have those names either. Some times it can be the “east circle” or something similar.

Inside each would be where people lived, things like storehouses and the palaces existed – of which, you think original Japanese castle structures are rare, the palaces are even more so! Nijo Castle and Kakegawa Castles ninomaru palaces are two great options, as well as Kawagoe’s Honmaru Palace.

Overarching layouts

If you want to pay closer to any specific detail, this is the one I’d choose. Why? Because you can use it to decide on different castles to go to so you can see each style and don’t go to the same thing over and over again. Something that I feel happens a lot with shrines and temples so after a while, “they are all the same”. We don’t want that, too many awesome castles to see!

If the circle in the name didn’t give it away, one of the main overarching layouts would have them in 輪郭式 (ring fortification) or concentric circles (really squares but we’re sticking with the ‘maru” here which means circle). 二条城 (Nijo Castle) in Kyoto is this style.

There are three other styles:

• 連郭式 or a continuous string from one bailey to the next, in a row like 水戸城 (Mito Castle)
• 梯郭式 or ladder fortification, think… I honestly can’t think of how to describe this in English. Like an L-shaped staircase, I suppose. 岡山城 (Okayama Castle) is this style.
• 渦郭式 or spiral fortification, which is just like it sounds and is part of the reason 丸亀城 (Marugame Castle) is a pain to hike up to!

But of course, there are exceptions to the rule, not all topographies fit into a pretty box.

Other structures of Japanese Castles

When you are exploring castles make sure to take note of all the different aspects, they aren’t just the castle keeps! There are plenty of Important Cultural Properties mixed in – Himeji Castle has different designations on 80+ of its buildings and structures! Some things to look out for:

• 櫓 (yagura) or watchtowers that make the outer ring of citadels include the new construction at Kanazawa using old techniques. Fun fact: 櫓 (yagura) is also the kanji that is used for the structure of my favorite piece of Japanese furniture – Kotatsu!

• 門 (mon) or gates! All of the gates! Many of the castles that are just walls remaining generally have at least a gate left that dates back to other eras like the one at 鳥取城 (Totori Castle).

• 石垣 (ishigasa) or stone walls. 丸亀城 (Marugame Castle) has the highest in Japan.　There is also some really cool engineering that goes into the different styles of stone wall construction.
• 堀 (hori) or moats. Some of the most beautiful are Edo Castles in my opinion.

Defenses

Also keep an eye out for some cool defense systems! And by cool I mean I’m glad I haven’t had to come face to face on them during a battle!

What is the Stamp Rally?

Fun thing about the 100. Japan’s good for stamp rallys. All over. You can get stamps for nearly anything. It’s a way of commemorating your visit. And it’s a fun hobby to “catch them all”.  I reference Pokemon a lot. It’s just a Japan thing, let it go!

In 2007, a stamp rally was added to go along with the 100 Finest Castles in Japan list. The goal was to entice people to deepen their knowledge of the history of Japan and with the stamp book, it helped increase interest in castles.

To top it off, the stamps are very pretty so they can be used to commemorate your visit. And the Japan Castle Association also makes it clear on their website that they don’t intend for people to run around like crazy trying to get them all at once. Take your time and enjoy it!

Certifying your castle visits

Certify what? Yes, not only can you just go around Japan getting pretty stamps, you can have them certified complete and given a special recognition.

A couple of ways to get your stamp rally book, you can sign up to be a member of the foundation or you can purchase the book separately. As you are reading this on an English website, the latter option is probably best.

You have two options for books that I recommend as I have both. One has the stamp book built-in (日本100名城に行こう 公式スタンプ帳つき) and therefore will be a bit heavier to carry around. The other is a guidebook that comes with a separate stamp book pamphlet in the back (日本100名城公式ガイドブック (歴史群像シリーズ)).

Both are in Japanese but you’ll still be able to match the pictures with the castle and they are all numbered.

Only a few castles have these available in their gift shops so make sure you prepare ahead of time and order one!

Where to get your stamp?

Be watchful as there are LOTS of stamp rally’s in Japan and actually, when we were at Inuyama, there were no less than 5 stamps to get.  Side note: It’s good just to have a blank book with you while you are traveling in Japan! I’ll talk more about goshuin (shrine stamp books) later.

Each of the books as one of the facts on the castle gives you the location of the stamps. That’s not very helpful if you can’t read Japanese (and if you are looking at learning I suggest Minna no Nihongo and Wanikani to get you started).

You can normally find them at the register for those castles with a main keep or somewhere inside. Throw on Japanese pronunciation and ask for the “スタンプラリー” (stamp rally spelled in Katakana) and you’ll get there. There are also sometimes signs if they are in other buildings like this one at Inuyama Castle.

If you’re at one of the castles that don’t have a keep, often time there is a municipal building or museum on the grounds that have the stamp. The stamps are sometimes even at shrines.

I’ve definitely wandered around in circles on large castle grounds trying to find the stamps so when you read my posts about them, I will promise to try and always tell you where they are!

Making it legit

If you are eventually looking to get your certification, you MUST get the stamp in your book. Some places will have paper available and they say they will take that but best be safe and do as directed (also in Japanese, inside the books).

Each castle has a specific color ink to use so you’ll only see one of four colors, black, red, blue or green. Speaking of extra pieces of paper, it’s a good idea to have some to make sure it doesn’t bleed onto the other page.

As Inuyama is an actual National Treasure, a higher designation than even some of the original 12 castles. Don’t let it being number 43 in the 100 finest castles confuse you.  They are in order from North to South, East to West (mostly).

Oh, and make sure to mark which day you were there under the stamp! The blank spaces are year 年 – month 月 – day 日.

Should you visit castles in Japan?

If you are a history buff, or just like architecture, or have a hankering for some culture, I highly suggest you plan to see some of the 100 famous castles in Japan while you are in visiting. 

Or, why not collect them all?  My absolute favorite (and I’ve been to a lot of castles, see my current count on the homepage!) is Matsuyama Castle but it is a bit far being on Shikoku.

If it is your first trip and you haven’t been, Himeji Castle should be number one on your list.

Why? It’s one of the first UNESCO World Heritage sites. It’s also massive. You could easily spend two days and not see it all.

100 Famous Castles in Japan by Region

Ready to begin? While Japan is normally broken into more regions, the Japan Castle Association breaks it into 6, I’m assuming due to how the numbers played out or historical regions.

Without further ado, a complete list in English of the 100 famous castles in Japan as designated by the Japan Castle Foundation.

[Note: If castles interest you, I suggest checking back here often or subscribing to Kristen Abroad. As I write more I will be linking out to each individual post!]

Hokkaido and Tohoku Region

• Nemuro Peninsula Chashi Site (根室半島チャシ跡群) in Nemuro, Hokkaido
• Goryōkaku(五稜郭) in Hakodate, Hokkaido
• Matsumae Castle (松前城) in Matsumae, Hokkaido
• Hirosaki Castle (弘前城) in Hirosaki, Aomori
• Ne Castle (根城) in Hachinohe, Aomori
• Morioka Castle (盛岡城) in Morioka, Iwate
• Taga Castle (多賀城) in Tagajō , Miyagi
• Sendai Castle (仙台城) in Sendai, Miyagi
• Kubota Castle (久保田城) in Akita, Akita
• Yamagata Castle (山形城) in Yamagata, Yamagata
• Nihonmatsu Castle (二本松城) in Nihonmatsu, Fukushima
• Aizuwakamatsu Castle (会津若松城) in Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima
• Shirakawa Komine Castle (白河小峰城) in Shirakawa, Fukushima

Kanto and Koshinetsu Regions

• Mito Castle (水戸城) in Mito, Ibaraki
• Ashikagashiyakata (足利氏館) now Banna Temple (鑁阿寺, Banna-ji) in Ashikaga, Tochigi
• Minowa Castle (箕輪城) in Takasaki, Gunma
• Kanayama Castle (金山城) in Ōta, Gunma
• Hachigata Castle (鉢形城) in Yorii, Saitama
• Kawagoe Castle (川越城) in Kawagoe, Saitama
• Sakura Castle (佐倉城) in Sakura, Chiba
• Edo Castle (江戸城) in Chiyoda, Tokyo
• Hachiōji Castle (八王子城) in Hachiōji, Tokyo
• Odawara Castle (小田原城) in Odawara, Kanagawa
• Tsutsujigasaki Castle (躑躅ヶ崎館) now Takeda Shrine（武田神社) in Kōfu, Yamanashi
• Kōfu Castle (甲府城) in Kōfu, Yamanashi
• Matsushiro Castle (松代城) in Nagano, Nagano
• Ueda Castle (上田城) in Ueda, Nagano
• Komoro Castle (小諸城) in Komoro, Nagano
• Matsumoto Castle (松本城) in Matsumoto, Nagano
• Takatō Castle (高遠城) in Ina, Nagano
• Shibata Castle (新発田城) in Shibata, Niigata
• Kasugayama Castle (春日山城) in Jōetsu, Niigata

Hokiriku and Tokai Region

• Takaoka Castle (高岡城) in Takaoka, Toyama
• Nanao Castle (七尾城) in Nanao, Ishikawa
• Kanazawa Castle (金沢城) in Kanazawa, Ishikawa
• Maruoka Castle (丸岡城) in Sakai, Fukui
• Ichijōdani Castle (一乗谷城) in Fukui, Fukui
• Iwamura Castle (岩村城 ) in Ena, Gifu
• Gifu Castle (岐阜城) in Gifu, Gifu
• Yamanaka Castle (山中城) in Mishima, Shizuoka
• Sunpu Castle (駿府城 ) in Shizuoka, Shizuoka
• Kakegawa Castle (掛川城) in Kakegawa, Shizuoka
• Inuyama Castle (犬山城 ) in Inuyama, Aichi
• Nagoya Castle (名古屋城) in Nagoya, Aichi
• Okazaki Castle(岡崎城) in Okazaki, Aichi
• Nagashino Castle (長篠城) in Shinshiro, Aichi
• Iga Ueno Castle (伊賀上野城) in Iga, Mie
• Matsusaka Castle (松阪城) in Matsusaka, Mie

Kansai/Kinki Region

• Odani Castle (小谷城) in Kohoku, Shiga
• Hikone Castle (彦根城) in Hikone, Shiga
• Azuchi Castle (安土城) in Ōmihachiman, Shiga
• Kannonji Castle (観音寺城) in Ōmihachiman, Shiga
• Nijō Castle (二条城) in Kyoto, Kyoto
• Osaka Castle (大坂城) in Osaka, Osaka
• Chihaya Castle (千早城) in Chihayaakasaka, Osaka
• Takeda Castle (竹田城) in Asago, Hyōgo
• Sasayama Castle (篠山城) in Sasayama, Hyōgo
• Akashi Castle (明石城) in Akashi, Hyōgo
• Himeji Castle (姫路城) in Himeji, Hyōgo
• Akō Castle (赤穂城) in Akō, Hyōgo
• Takatori Castle (高取城) in Takatori, Nara
• Wakayama Castle (和歌山城) in Wakayama, Wakayama

Chūgoku Region and Shikoku

• Tottori Castle (鳥取城) in Tottori, Tottori
• Matsue Castle (松江城) in Matsue, Shimane
• Gassantoda Castle (月山富田城 ) in Yasugi, Shimane
• Tsuwano Castle (津和野城) in Tsuwano, Shimane
• Tsuyama Castle (津山城) in Tsuyama, Okayama
• Bitchū Matsuyama Castle (備中松山城) in Takahashi, Okayama
• Kino Castle (鬼ノ城) in Sōja, Okayama
• Okayama Castle (岡山城) in Okayama, Okayama
• Fukuyama Castle (福山城) in Fukuyama, Hiroshima
• Kōriyama Castle (郡山城) in Akitakata, Hiroshima
• Hiroshima Castle (広島城) in Hiroshima, Hiroshima
• Iwakuni Castle (岩国城) in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Iwakuni
• Hagi Castle (萩城) in Hagi, Yamaguchi
• Tokushima Castle (徳島城) in Tokushima, Tokushima
• Takamatsu Castle (高松城) in Takamatsu, Kagawa
• Marugame Castle (丸亀城) in Marugame, Kagawa
• Imabari Castle (今治城) in Imabari, Ehime
• Yuzuki Castle (湯築城) in Matsuyama, Ehime
• Matsuyama Castle (松山城) in Matsuyama, Ehime
• Ōzu Castle (大洲城) in Ōzu, Ehime
• Uwajima Castle (宇和島城) in Uwajima, Ehime
• Kōchi Castle (高知城) in Kōchi, Kōchi

Kyūshū and Okinawa

• Fukuoka Castle (福岡城 ) in Fukuoka, Fukuoka
• Ōno Castle (大野城) in Daizafu, Fukuoka
• Nagoya Castle (名護屋城) in Karatsu, Saga
• Yoshinogari (吉野ヶ里) in Yoshinogari, Saga
• Saga Castle (佐賀城) in Saga, Saga
• Hirado Castle (平戸城) in Hirado, Nagasaki
• Shimabara Castle (島原城) in Shimabara, Nagasaki
• Kumamoto Castle (熊本城) in Kumamoto, Kumamoto
• Hitoyoshi Castle (人吉城) in Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto
• Ōita Funai Castle (大分府内城) in Ōita, Ōita
• Oka Castle (岡城 (豊後国)) in Taketa, Ōita
• Obi Castle (飫肥城) in Nichinan, Miyazaki
• Kagoshima Castle (鹿児島城) in Kagoshima, Kagoshima
• Nakijin Castle (今帰仁城) in Nakijin, Okinawa
• Nakagusuku Castle (中城城) in Kitanakagusuku, Okinawa
• Shuri Castle (首里城) in Naha, Okinawa

Continued 100 Famous Castles in Japan by Region

In case the first 100 famous castles in Japan weren’t enough for you, the Japan Castle Association has designated 100 more!

If that wasn’t in cahoots with the tourism industry, it should have been! Between the two, you’ve got a lot of options to add to your plans in Japan.

Some of them between the two lists are close together so I wanted to mention both. Plus, as I said up above check back often or subscribe as I will be updating this as I write more posts on the castles in Japan!

And don’t worry, there’s a book with stamp rally for these too (続日本１００名城公式ガイドブック (歴史群像シリーズ特別編集)).

Hokkaido and Tohoku Region

• Shinori Site (志苔館) in Hakodate, Hokkaido
• Kaminokuni Katsuyama Site (上ノ国勝山館) in Hiyama, Hokkaido
• Namioka Castle (浪岡城) in Aomori, Aomori
• Kunohe Castle (九戸城) in Ninohe, Iwate
• Shiroishi Castle (白石城) in Shiroishi, Miyagi
• Wakimoto Castle (脇本城) in Oga, Akita
• Akita Castle (秋田城) in Akita, Akita
• Tsurugaoka Castle (鶴ヶ岡城) in Tsuruoka, Yamagata
• Yonezawa Castle (米沢城) in Yonezawa, Yamagata
• Miharu Castle (三春城) in Tamura, Fukushima
• Mukaihaguroyama Castle (向羽黒山城) in Aizumisato, Fukushima

Kanto and Kōshinetsu Regions

• Kasama Castle (笠間城) in Kasama, Ibaraki
• Tsuchiura Castle (土浦城) in Tsuchiura, Ibaraki
• Karasawa Castle (唐沢山城) in Sano, Tochigi
• Nagurumi Castle (名胡桃城) in Tone, Gunma
• Numata Castle (沼田城) in Numata, Gunma
• Iwabitsu Castle (岩櫃城) in Agatsuma, Gunma
• Oshi Castle (忍城) in Gyōda, Saitama
• Sugiyama Castle (杉山城) in Hiki, Saitama
• Sugaya Yakata (菅谷館) in Hiki, Saitama
• Moto Sakura Castle (本佐倉城) in Inba, Chiba
• Ōtaki Castle (大多喜城) in Ōtaki, Chiba
• Takiyama Castle (滝山城) in Hachiōji, Tokyo
• *Shinagawa Daiba (品川台場) in Tokyo Bay, Tokyo
• Kozukue Castle (小机城) in Kōhoku-ku, Kanagawa
• Ishigakiyama Castle (石垣山城) in Odawara, Kanagawa
• Shinpu Castle (新府城) in Nirasaki, Yamanashi
• Yōgaiyama Castle (要害山城) in Kōfu, Yamanashi
• Tatsuoka Castle (龍岡城) in Saku, Nagano
• Takashima Castle (高島城) in Suwa, Nagano
• Murakami Castle (村上城) in Murakami, Niigata
• Takada Castle (高田城) in Jōetsu, Niigata
• Samegao Castle (鮫ヶ尾城) in Myōkō, Niigata

Hokuriku and Tokai Regions

• Toyama Castle (富山城) in Toyama, Toyama
• Masuyama Castle (増山城) in Tonami, Toyama
• Torigoe Castle (鳥越城) in Hakusan, Ishikawa
• Fukui Castle (福井城) in Fukui (city), Fukui
• Echizen Ōno Castle (越前大野城) in Ōno, Fukui
• Sagaki Kuniyoshi Castle (佐柿国吉城) in Mihama, Fukui
• Genbao Castle (玄蕃尾城) in Fukui, Shiga
• Gujō Hachiman Castle (郡上八幡城) in Gujō, Gifu
• Naegi Castle (苗木城) in Nakatsugawa, Gifu
• Mino Kaneyama Castle (美濃金山城) in Kani, Gifu
• Ōgaki Castle (大垣城) in Ōgaki, Gifu
• Kōkokuji Castle (興国寺城) in Numazu, Shizuoka
• Suwahara Castle (諏訪原城) in Shimada, Shizuoka
• Takatenjin Castle (高天神城) in Kakegawa, Shizuoka
• Hamamatsu Castle (浜松城) in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka
• Komakiyama Castle (小牧山城) in Komaki, Gifu
• Furumiya Castle (古宮城) in Shinshiro, Aichi
• Yoshida Castle (吉田城) in Toyohashi, Aichi
• Tsu Castle (津城) in Tsu, Mie
• Tage Kitabatakeshi Jōkan (北畠館) in Tsu, Mie
• Tamaru Castle (田丸城) in Tamaki, Mie
• Akagi Castle (赤木城) in Kumano, Mie

Kansai/Kinki Region

• Kamaha Castle (鎌刃城) in Maibara, Shiga
• Hachimanyama Castle (八幡山城) in Yonago, Shiga
• Fukuchiyama Castle (福知山城) in Fukuchiyama, Kyoto
• Akutagawayama Castle (芥川山城) in Takatsuki, Osaka
• Iimoriyama Castle (飯盛山城) in Shijōnawate, Osaka
• Kishiwada Castle (岸和田城) in Kisiwada, Osaka
• Izushi Castle/Arikoyama Castle  (出石城・有子山城) in Toyooka, Hyōgo
• Kuroi Castle (黒井城) in Tanba, Hyōgo
• Sumoto Castle (洲本城) in Sumoto, Hyōgo
• Yamato Kōriyama Castle (大和郡山城) in Yamatokōriyama, Nara
• Uda Matsuyama Castle (宇陀松山城) in Uda, Nara
• Shingū Castle (新宮城) in Shingū, Wakayama

Chūgoku Region and Shikoku

• Wakasa Oniga Castle (若桜鬼ヶ城) in Wakasa, Tottori
• Yonago Castle (米子城) in Yonago, Tottori
• Hamada Castle (浜田城) in Hamada, Shimane
• Bitchu Takamatsu Castle (備中高松城) in Okayama, Ehime
• Mihara Castle (三原城) in Mihara, Hiroshima
• Niitakayama Castle (新高山城) in Mihara, Hiroshima
• Ōuchi-shi Yakata/Kōnomine Castle  (大内氏館・高嶺城) in Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi
• Shōzui Castle (勝瑞城) in Tokushima, Tokushima
• Ichinomiya Castle (一宮城) in Tokushima, Tokushima
• Hiketa Castle (引田城) in Higashikagawa, Kagawa
• Noshima Castle (能島城) in Imabari, Ehime
• Kagomori Castle (河後森城) in Kitauwa, Ehime
• Okō Castle (岡豊城) in Nankoku, Kōchi

Kyūshū and Okinawa

• Kokura Castle (小倉城) in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka
• Mizuki Castle (水城) in Dazaifu, Fukuoka
• Kurume Castle (久留米城) in Kurume, Fukuoka
• Kii Castle (基肄城) in Chikushino, Saga
• Karatsu Castle (唐津城) in Karatsu, Saga
• Kaneda Castle (金田城) in Tsushima, Nagasaki
• Fukue Castle(also know as Ishida Castle) (福江城・石田城) in Gotō, Nagasaki
• Hara Castle (原城) in Minamishimabara, Nagasaki
• Kikuchi Castle (鞠智城) in Kikuchi, Kumamoto
• Yatsushiro Castle (八代城) in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto
• Nakatsu Castle (中津城) in Nakatsu, Ōita
• Tsunomure Castle (角牟礼城) in Yatsushiro, Ōita
• Usuki Castle (臼杵城) in Usuki, Ōita
• Saiki Castle (佐伯城) in Saiki, Ōita
• Nobeoka Castle (延岡城) in Nobeoka, Miyazaki
• Sadowara Castle (佐土原城) in Miyazaki, Miyazaki
• Shibushi Castle (志布志城) in Shibushi, Kagoshima
• Chiran Castle (知覧城) in Minamikyūshū, Kagoshima
• Zakimi Castle (座喜味城) in Nakagami, Okinawa
• Katsuren Castle (勝連城) in Uruma, Okinawa

Other Castles in Japan

Don’t forget there used to be many more castles in Japan and while they may not have made the famous castles in Japan lists, there are still others out there. Like Chiba Castle, for instance, a quick day trip from Tokyo, and a reconstruction castle with a museum inside.

If you are looking for the list of others, I’ll eventually make one but for now, you can get this castle atlas that shows many more than just the 200 famous castles in Japan.

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When planning a trip to Japan, you may not know about Tottori on the Western Side on Honshu in the Chugoku region. The least populated prefecture, Tottori is located along the Sea of Japan and further designated a part of the San-in Region. It’s famous for its かに, crabs, and sand dunes, there is a lot to see in the capital city of Tottori Prefecture, Japan.  Welcome to Tottori!

[Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in December of 2018 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy and comprehensiveness.]

1. Tottori Sand Dunes (鳥取砂丘, Tottori sakyu)

Tottori Sand Dunes may be the main reason for a visit.  These geological wonders were created thousands of years ago between a combination of soil from the rivers and wind blow sand from the sea. Easily 100 ft in height, they make an interesting contrast to Japan’s usually green landscape.

The visitor center gives you a quick overview of the history as well as the plants and animals that are indigenous to the dunes. There’s some interesting pictures from the 20th century to how they have changed over time as well.

If adventure travel is your thing, there is a myriad of activities for you here. Ride on canal back, go sandboarding, or catch a hang glider. There’s even a ski lift to give you more of a birds-eye view.

If you happen to be visiting in Winter, you might want to fight the cold winds coming off the sea for the Sakyu winter illuminations! If you miss them there, depending on where you are illuminations run near half the year so plenty of opportunities around Japan!

The Tottori Sand Dunes are part of the larger San’in Kaigan UNESCO Global Geopark. Unlike UNESCO World Heritage sites (which Japan has many of), the purpose of the geoparks is not just to conserve the natural heritage but to use it for education and revitalization as well. As such, they are required to have tours so that’s another thing to take advantage of!

2. Tottori Sand Museum (鳥取砂の美術館, Tottori suna no bijutsukan）

When you hear “sand museum” you may think of it as a geological exhibit. This is not. Since 2006 the Tottori Sand Museum has been “Japan’s only open-air museum with statues of created from sand”. Japan like’s their originality!

The museum invites some of the highest level of sand sculptors from around the world to put their work on display here.

The 11th exhibition at the Tottori Sand Museum was all Nordic related. From castles to Edvard Munch’s The Scream, to Nordic folklore such as The Little Mermaid and Odin.

Every year the exhibition changes themes and in the past it has been UK, Germany, America, and Asia wonders.

3. Tottori Castle Ruins (鳥取城跡, Tottorijōato)

Sometimes ruins are literally just mounds of dirt and a few rocks where one once stood (looking at you, Takaoka Castle). Of which, it’s hard to imagine what happened to all the construction material. Others, like with Tottori Castle Ruins, the walls for the baileys still remain and it is almost like it was some feat of magic, and not because they are missing, that you can’t see the buildings. There is also one of the gates.

Tottori is famous in Japan for a 200-day siege that starved out the defenders in 1581. That’s what happens when you take full advantage of the landscape. The actual castle keep stood at the summit of the mountain, a few hundred meters above sea level. With massive walls of lower defenses and a river moat.

If you like to hike, you can still make it up some trails to the top. Or there is plenty of walking and climbing you can do on the lower levels of what remains.

4. Colonial House, Jinpukaku, 仁風閣

When Tottori Castle still remained on the site, the Ohgi Goten, Fan Palace, stood in this location on the lower bailey. It held the name fan due to Tottori being laid out in a fan shape. Hence, the Jinpukaku is often time referred to as the same.

It was constructed in 1906 for the same reason as Kouunkaku in Matsue. To be used by the crown prince on his visit to the city. Rather an extravagant welcoming if you ask me. The house was the first in the PREFECTURE to have electric lights.

It’s been used for many things over the years but now remains an exhibit and a National Important Cultural Property.

The house has beautiful gardens in the back with a backdrop of the castle wall ruins. Horyuin Garden is its name. It was consolation for the widow of one of the Lords and the paint has seen better days. It was a part of a movie at one point, and it looks like they did a speedy job of it, and since the Japanese humidity has gotten the best of it.

One note, if you are accomplishing the stamp rally for the 100 finest Japanese castles, you need to make a trip to this house to get your stamp for Tottori Castle ruins. Mystery solved for where the stamps are for the ruins!

5. Karoichi Fish Market

Karoichi Fish Market is just minutes from the port. If you’ve been to Tsukiji, it will be slightly underwhelming. However, Tottori is known for its 松葉かに (matsuba crab), enough so that they are nicknamed ”蟹取県” or “kani tori ken”. Kani = crab; tori for the last half of Tottori; Ken =prefecture” or plainly, “crab prefecture”.

What will you see a lot of in this little market? Crab. But also fish of all types, vegetables at the peripheral market, Tottori wagyu and rice.

What is Matsuba Crab?

Matsuba Crab is a funny name as the kanji literally is “pine needle” but it comes from the fact that the legs are thin like pine needles. Ultimately, they are the same as snow crabs but Matsuba crabs are specifically from the San’in region of Japan.

6. 鳥取賀露かにっこ館 (Tottori Karo Kanikkokan, Tottori Karo Crab Aquarium

If you didn’t see enough crabs at the market, you can head next door to the 鳥取賀露かにっこ館 (Tottori Karo Kanikkokan, Tottori Karo Crab Aquarium) and see exhibits of all the different various types of crab of the region.

While it is small and more geared at young children, admission is free! If you are next door at the Karoichi Fish Market, it’s worth a stop in.

7. Have some of the 地元の味 (jigenoaji, local taste)

Statistics say that the crab consumption per household is five times the national average in Tottori City! So why not try some of the “地元の味” (jigenoaji, local taste)?

There are several crab restaurants located close to the market (along with some sushi restaurants). Highly recommend trying one of them out. Prices get steep fast but it will be some of the best crab you’ve ever tried. Look for a 定食, teishoku, or set meal.

Across the street from the Karoichi Market is a restaurant/izakaya and store specializing in matsuba crab called かに大陸 (kanitairiku) which translates into “Crab Continent”. They’re set meal has the option to include 飲み放題 (nomihoudai or all-you-can-drink) and will run you about $100 USD.

This will come with rice, a bunch of side dishes, miso (most likely with crab!), and your main course of crab. You can choose which style you want (boiled, grilled, baked), or you can try all of them usually. The price goes up the more options you add.

If you want to go even more high class on the crab options, Michelin made it to Tottori for the first time in 2019 and awarded two stars to Kani-Yoshi in town. The set courses start at 25,000 yen and go way up from there (pushing $800 USD).

Both restaurants buy freshly caught crab that morning from the port to serve the same day.

Other Tottori Regional Specialties

Not looking to spend a small fortune? Tottori is known for a lot of other dishes like:

• Horu soba (yakisoba with horumon as the meat)
• Gyuukotsu Ramen (Ramen made with cow bones as the broth base, which is less common than you would think)
• Tottori Wagyu (okay, that will run you a pretty penny but famous for it’s fat content)

8. Getting around town: Kirin Jishi Loop Bus

The loop bus is probably the most convenient way to get around. However, unless you are there in August, it only runs on weekends and holidays. You also have the option to take the city buses. If you need help, see our guide for riding buses.

For the loop pass, you can buy your 600 yen pass at the train station at the information booth (and they can provide an English version of the timetable) or onboard.

Don’t forget to grab your “stamp rally” stamp at the front of the train which gives you discounts and special treats such as a nice postcard at the Tottori Sand Museum. You’ll first need to get the stamp rally at the information booth, a reason to get your timetable at the information booth! Plus there is much to be said for tourism information booths in Japan!

The bus itself is a nice way to see the highlights of the town and why I’ve included it in the list of things to do (it will also get you everywhere that I’ve listed above!). If you don’t want the pass, it is 300 yen a trip so it’s worth it for an out and back even to get the pass, plus it makes a cute souvenir.

Disclosure: Kristenabroad.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and other affiliate programs. For some links to products or services in this article, I may earn a small commission by you using my link.  The price for you is not affected.

How to Get to Tottori By Train

Ah, the train, one of the best things about Japan. You can use your Japan Rail Pass to easily get to Tottori, though depending on where you are coming from it can be a bit of a hike!

From Okayama to Tottori

If you are trying to see western Japan and even Shikoku (for instance if you are attempting to see as many of the original 12 castles of Japan as possible), I highly suggest using Okayama as your jumping ground as it is an excellent hub to just about anywhere. It’s much easier to leave your bag in one location, even if you have to take a little longer on train travel.

From Okayama, hop on the JR Super Inaba line directly to Tottori. The trip is completely covered by the JR Rail Pass and takes about 1.75 hours.

From Kyoto to Tottori

You’ll want to get the Limited Express Hamakaze from Kyoto to Tottori which is also covered by the rail pass. Note that it leaves only during “commuting” hours but if you are using Kyoto as your hub and just want to do a day trip, those are the best options anyway!

You can also take the Super Hakuto Limited Express (also your option from Osaka) which is faster but it isn’t fully covered by the rail pass as it runs on non-JR tracks. The fee as of writing this is less than $20 USD but that is still fairly substantial so I’d go with the Hamakaze! For those of you that live in Japan, pick whichever works for you!

How to get to Tottori from Tokyo by Plane

Let’s face it, the shinkansen from Tokyo is a bit long at 6 hours. There are flights from Haneda to Tottori that take 75 minutes and if you can find a discounted ticket (or probably even full fair), will probably end up less expensive that the train if you live local and therefore can’t get the rail pass.

JAL and ANA Air Passes

People on visitor visas – it is still something to note, did you know that you can get air passes? It’s the same thing as the rail pass but for planes! Both JAL and ANA offer passes and it is a great option if you want to jump Japan’s four main islands, or even down to Okinawa as part of your trip to Japan!

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What do you picture when you think of Japan?  Probably Mt. Fuji, but also, likely, an orange torii gate sitting in the water tops the list. Whether you learned of it from Disney Epcot’s World Showcase replica or some other means, you’re probably familiar with Itsukushima Shrine (厳島神社). But perhaps not by name.

A quick ferry ride away from Hiroshima, Itsukushima (厳島) lies in the Inland Sea of Japan. You’ve most likely heard it by another name though, Miyajima (宮島) or “shrine island”. If you want to get elloquent with your translation you could go so far as saying “islands of gods”. A little bit nicer sounding that it’s actual name, in which “厳” can mean “strict”.

[Editor’s Note: This post originally was published in September of 2018 and has been updated for freshness, accuracy and comprehensiveness].

Itsukushima Shrine: What makes it a shrine?

First, a quick lesson.  Buddhism and Shintoism have been wrapped together through Japan’s history.  How do you tell the difference when you run upon a religious establishment every turn you make?  The iconic torii gate signifies a Shinto shrine.  Shrine in Japanese is “jinja” or 神社 but it’s possible that they have slight changes like Meiji Jingu (明治神宮, Meiji Shrine) in Tokyo. The torii represents the barrier between the real world and the spiritual and walking under it is part of the cleansing process before you pray to the god of that shrine.  The torii gate will show up on maps as well.

Buddhist temples you will notice always have a image of buddha enshrined and though they also have gates, they are distinctively different from a torii gate. Temple in Japanese is “otera” or お寺, the “o” being the honorific. Buddhist temples will be marked with a swastika on maps. Don’t let that throw you off, it’s been used in Buddhism and other cultures way before Hitler got a hold of it.

The Floating Torii Gate

Most iconic is the floating torii gate as it sits in the ebbs and flows of the tide. The current gate is the 8th since the shrine was formed in the 12th century. The torii is one of the Three Views of Japan. What’s that? During the isolation of the Edo period, the Japanese had to get creative with their own country it seems. In Japanese, they are known as 日本三景, Nihon Sankei.

The current torii was constructed in 1875 and as of April of 2020 under going some reconstruction. Something everyone should be able to understand as it is wood sitting in salt water, not the best environment for longevity!

The construction project starts with fixing the “roof” of the torii gate which hasn’t been worked on in 25 years. Followed by painting which I’m surprised has lasted 15 years in the condition it’s in. Additionally there is some reinforcement work being done to the main pillars. In order to do all of these things, they’ve had to make a temporary jetty. So while the pictures may not be quite what they were, just think of it as an excuse to come back!

And let’s not forget about the architecture of the main shrine! Despite repeat reconstructions (actually pretty standard for shinto shrines), it remains in the original style of the Heian Period of which it was built.

Japan: Land of the UNESCO World Heritage Site

Japan has 23 UNESCO World Heritage sites, 19 cultural and 4 natural. When you think of it, that makes it a relatively small bucket list of places to see! While the shrine records show that Itsukushima Shrine has been around in some form since the 5th century, it’s generally accepted in it’s current form from 1168.  It was made a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1996. 

The actual World Heritage site covers and area of about 14% of the island. The shrine itself as well as the surrounding forest.　The buildings are all pretty spectacular and hark to the bright red of the torii.

All in all, the registration includes 17 buildings (main shrine and worship halls), three torii gates, and a five-storied pagoda. There’s some national treasures and important cultural properties mixed in there as well!
　

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Access and Entrance to Itsukushima Shrine

Miyajima is an island near Hiroshima.  I suggest you take the boat ride from the peace park as it’s quite a lovely ride.  The other option is to take the train to JR Miyajimaguchi Station and take a ferry across (this ferry is also covered by the JR Rail Pass).  It’s a nice walk from the ferry station to the shrine along the water.  Oh, and there’s deer here too!

As far as cost to get in, you can either pay 300 円 to just see Itsukushima Shrine or you can get a combined ticket for the Treasure Hall as well for 500 円. The route through the shrine will take you through the beautiful buildings.  One note – you’ll need to take your shoes off, be sure to watch out for your feet on the floor boards.

From the ferry terminal, you’ll want to head left and follow the water along to the shrine. You should have noticed it coming in unless it’s foggy, there will be torii along the way!

What to bring

Your camera, of course!  I have a Nikon D3400 DSLR that I absolutely love and if I want something lighter, I use my Nikon 1 J5 which has some stellar specifications and you can still find on Amazon even though it’s been archived by the company.

Another thing that’s “required” for any shrine visit is 朱印帳 (shuinchou, temple and shrine seal book).  One of the coolest souvenirs you can have (more on that later). 

If you want to go during low tide and walk out to get closer to the torii gates, I’d also suggest a microfiber towel of some sort to wipe the sand off.

Other Things to do on the Island

Remember, it’s called “Shrine Island” there’s a few you can check out while you are here! That’s not all that’s here though:

• The shopping Street is super cute (and covered!) so be sure to pick up a souvenir
• You can get nikuman (or meat bun) with local meat inside
• Miyajima Brewing Company is a nice place to relax with some three local beers to try.
• The ropeway will give you a beautiful sky view of the Inland Japan Sea

If nothing else, the deer could entertain me for hours!

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Did you know that Japan has massive sand dunes? One of the lesser-known prefectures, Tottori, is located on the west coast of the main island of Japan along the Sea of Japan. The Tottori Sand Dunes (鳥取砂丘, Tottori Sakyu) are the largest in Japan and one of the main attractions for visitors, regularly pulling in a few million tourists a year.

Tottori Sand Dunes

The Tottori Sand Dunes are part of the San’in Kaigan National Park, a UNESCO Global Geopark. If you are into nature travel, this is definitely a corner of Japan you should visit. At 16 km along the coast and at one point coming nearly 2 km into the land, the tallest dunes are 50m (!).

Side note, I use to only speak metric for running, after living outside America so long, it’s grown on me completely.

The dunes were created thousands of years ago by deposits from the near by Sendai river. The main visitor center gives you a detailed history of the changes to the land as well as insight into the creatures and vegetation that make these dunes their home.

Tourist Attractions

Along with enjoying nature, you have a wide variety of gimmicky tourist attractions to choose from. Camel rides and a random little ski lift to give you an aerial view. For the more adventurous, there is sandboarding or paragliding.

Bottom line? You can spend some time here.

Hungry? There are several restaurants in the area. Make sure you try some crab while you are in Tottori, the local specialty.

Being Prepared for the Sand

Forgot to pack the right shoes for hiking around on the sand? They have slippers for you to borrow at the Visitor Center.

The weather is apt to change at any point while in Japan, especially this close to the sea so make sure you come prepared with some rain gear. (For my go–to items, check out this post.)

Getting to Tottori Sand Dunes

Probably the most convenient way to get around town is the Loop Bus. However, unless you are there in August, it only runs on weekends and holidays.

You can buy your 600 yen pass at the train station at the information booth (and it also has an English copy of the timetable) or onboard.

Not there on a day for the pass? From Tottori Station, take the Nikko or Hinomaru bus bound for Tottori Sakyuu. For more on bus rides, this guide will help you feel more comfortable.

Things to do near by

Even though it’s not as known, Tottori has a lot going for it. Don’t miss the Sand Museum which regularly changes displays.

Disclosure: Kristenabroad.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and other affiliate programs. For some links to products or services in this article, I may earn a small commission by you using my link.  The price for you is not affected.

Getting to Tottori

From Kyoto, you can hop on the Super Hakuto (スーパーはくと), a limited express train service straight to Tottori. Getting a JR Rail Pass? If you are limiting your visit to this side of the country, the Sanyo-San’in Area Pass is much cheaper than the “All Japan” pass.

Where to stay

If you aren’t looking for anything fancy, APA Hotels are a great way to go. They are generally very inexpensive and conveniently located close to the railway stations. Many of them also have public baths on site for the true Japan experience.

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Not all of the 100 finest castles of Japan are still intact castles. Sometimes all that remains are just really awesome foundations. Or just earthworks like Takaoka. Little remains of Tottori Castle Ruins, however, it does boast one of the original gates. Located on the eastern side of Tottori, the capital of Tottori Prefecture, the castle was built in 1532 and last served by the Ikeda clan.

Make your way up and over the castle wall foundations of the lower baileys and imagine what it use to be like with the palace structures in tact.

200 Day Seige of Tottori Castle

Tottori Castle is famous for being the location of a 200 (!!!) day siege. Everyone inside the castle slowly ran out of provisions and they were even starting to look towards cannibalism to survive – eek! Can you imagine?! As part of the surrender, the castle lord from the Kikkawa Clad had to commit suicide.

Where was the main keep of Tottori castle?

So where was the actual castle? Or what people tend to think of “the castle” in Japan – the main keep! It can be confusing with the different bailey structures that make up a Japanese castle. The original keep structure was WAY up on the hill, or should I say, Mount Kyusho. If you like and have the time, there are hiking trails to take you to the top. Didn’t end up so well of a location as in 1692 it was hit by lightning and burned.

There are two hiking trails to get you to honmaru or where the castle keep used to be. One will take an hour and one is an hour 20 minutes. There is also a trail to the neighboring mountain that was involved with the siege and is now a nationally designated historic site.

They didn’t bother rebuilding it and then a couple of decades later they lost a huge chunk of buildings to another fire. After taking the time to rebuild some of those buildings, including the ninomaru palace, it got hit by the “one castle one providence” rule from the Meiji era reforms and was destroyed.

The city is working on various projects to restore some of Tottori castle.

Best Cherry Blossom viewing

Japanese castles were giant complexes and took up a lot of space with different tiers of buildings. Similar and different from ones I’ve seen elsewhere in the world. One thing the city of Tottori has done is planted hundreds of Cherry Blossom, or Sakura 桜, trees in amongst the Tottori castle ruins making a great spot to have hanami in the spring.

Where do you get the stamp?

Stamp? Yes, Japan is full of “Stamp Rallies“. In the land of Pokemon, you can find a number of things “to catch them all”. Castles being no different. Between the 100 finest books, there is quite regularly other stamp rallys going on for tourism promotion. If that’s the case, you may have to do some digging for all of the different stamps.

The good thing? “Stamp” is a borrowed word in this case and therefore in katakana. If you are having trouble finding them, ask for “城のスタンプ” (shi-ro no su–ta-n–pu).

Tottori is in ruins so you’ll need to go to Jinpukaku, the stately white building built on the grounds to collect your stamp. It’s a cool side trip in and of itself, it was the first building in the prefecture to have electricity!

Disclosure: Kristenabroad.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and other affiliate programs. For some links to products or services in this article, I may earn a small commission by you using my link.  The price for you is not affected.

Have you gotten your 100 finest castle book yet?

Visiting Tottori Castle Ruins

The best way for getting around Tottori City is to utilize the 100 yen bus. However, the castle ruins are also not a far walk from the train station. Getting your walk on in Japan is almost a rite of passage.

What’s your favorite?

Do you have a favorite castle? Leave me a note in the comments so I can check it out!

Matsue castle is one of the 12 remaining original castles in Japan. Being the farthest west from Tokyo, it was the first on the list for the remaining 4 I hadn’t seen. Over 2018, it had been the mission to see all 12. For all intents and purposes, it takes seven plus hours to get to Matsue castle from where I live. It didn’t disappoint.

What makes it one of the 12?

Original being that they meet requirements that they are in their original form and there is proof of their age. They had that back in the 1930s but lost the marker some how. Mysteriously (at least it seems to me!), they found it again under the south corner of the castle. It’s now located in the Matsue History Museum. A quick walk from the castle grounds.

How does Matsue Castle stand out?

Of the 12, it’s the 2nd largest, 3rd tallest and 5th oldest. Its very deceiving from the outside. The inside is massive.

There are also some finer details the others don’t have. The construction is different due to its size. It’s the only castle with a well INSIDE the castle. It’s located in the basement where they use to keep salt. Originally it was 24 meters deep but they have since backfilled half of it to help make sure it doesn’t collapse.

The toilet on the 4th floor for the Lord is something I don’t remember from the others either. Don’t be standing under that side of the castle…

Don’t forget your stamp for the 100 finest castles of Japan stamp rally!

How much is it?

Don’t use the machines that you will see when you first walk up if you are a foreigner. Talk to the ticket counter and you’ll get in for half price. I really don’t think they see foreigners very often.

Getting here

Matsue is far. Easiest from the most likely entry points is to get to Okayama terminal by shinkansen or other means and then its a liner straight from there to Matsue station. The walk from Matsue to Matsue Castle is a little over a mile and you get a beautiful view of the lakes. Or you can take the loop bus which is only 500 yen for a full day pass.

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Known as the city of water due to it’s being surrounded by two brackish water lakes, Matsue is the capital city of Shimane Prefecture. Possibly the most important for tea culture in Japan as well, this castle city has a lot to see and do. While in the Sanin area of Japan, make sure you swing by.

Why go to Matsue?

You’re going to see how you get to Matsue down below and wonder “Why would I go all that way?!?!”. Plenty my friend, plenty. Everyone knows about Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima, the like. Hokkaido as a whole. There is so much of this great country to see though. Be the one to tell your friends about the cool “hole in the wall” parts of the country. You won’t regret it.

Pro tip: If you are a foreigner, make sure you have your passport on you (you should have it anyway!), there is discounts of 50% or greater to most all of the attractions.

The Highlights of Matsue, the City of Water

Matsue Castle (松江城)

Matsue castle is one of the 12 remaining original castles. Original being that they meet requirements that they are in their original form and there is proof of their age. Of the 12, it’s the 2nd largest, 3rd tallest and 5th oldest. It‘s very deceiving from the outside. The inside is massive. Don’t forget to get your stamp for the 100 finest castles in Japan.

興雲閣, Kouunkaku,Colonial House

Kouunkaku was constructed SOLELY to host the Meiji Emperor. For one visit. That’s it! Oh yeah, and then the visit was cancelled. It’s an interesting building. Very western in design but with many Japanese elements. Located on the castle grounds, its a quick stop in.

Jozan Inari Shrine

As far as shrines go, it’s not too spectatular.  However, its super easy to find as it is located on the castle grounds.  This is the shrine that started it all.  Matsue’s boat festival! Shikinnenn Shinkousai Festival, one of three greatest boat festivals in Japan. Also, has a load of inari (fox) statues to check out in back.  If you are interested in Lafcadio Hearn, this was his favorite shrine.

Matsue Beer Hall

Why not try the local fair and beer while you’re in town? Easy to locate from one of the boat ride docks, the Matsue Beer Hall has a nice selection of omiyage, 4 beers to try from (pilsner, hefeweizen, pale ale and stout) and a nice restaurant.

Lafcadio Hearn Memorial Museum

Going to be honest, I didn’t know who this was before I went. However now I want to read all of his work! Famous for his perspective into Japan during the Meiji period and his life history is truly interestingly presented. The museum is located next to the house he lived in and you can also tour it!

Matsue History Museum

As a foreigner, you’ll get your 50% off admission but you’ll also have access to a free audio guide. Learn the culture and changes that has made Matsue what it is today. It’s designed like a samurai residence which is pretty awesome.  Better though, appropriately, it WAS a samurai residence. Well, at least it’s on the remains of one! Don’t miss the Japanese Garden.

Horan-enya Festival Museum

With admission to the Matsue history museum, you’ll also gain access to a secondary museum around the corner. This is about the boat festival that has been occurring for 360 years and is considered on of Japan’s three great boat festivals. The festival happens every 10 years for 9 days and you are introduced through video and displays on all the details. The displays are in Japanese but the video has English subtitles. If you miss it next year (the next Horan-enya is in 2019), check out the museum for details.

Samurai House

What seemed like a smaller house than what I’ve seen before, this is located along Shiomi Nawate, a long street parallel the castle moat where the “elite” lived in the time of the castle. A good way to get a taste of old Japan.

Try the traditional Japanese confections and matcha

Back in the day, Lord Fumai made Wakakusa, Yamakawa and Naho no Sato famous and are still eaten today. Without him, we wouldn’t have tea ceremony as they are today.  Matsue is known as one of the three great tea cities of Japan so try if you can to get to a traditional ceremony. If not, there’s plenty of places to grab a nice cup of matcha.

Dialect

Language is a fascinating thing and this area of Japan is not without differences. A few words you may hear are:

• dan-dan or thank you, in the local Izomi-ben
• chonboshi instead of sukoshi for “a little”
• yobareru to eat

Getting here

Main stops for Japan are Tokyo or Osaka/Kyoto area. If you are in Tokyo, you’re going to need to swing down past Kyoto to get to Matsue. Catch a shinkansen to Okayama on the Nozomi express. From there, liners are the name of the game. That’s Kristen-speak.  Fancier trains that usually show up as “Limited express”. Ignore the fact that’s confusing!  Why? Main lines have “Limited express” trains. Completely not the same thing!

To get a liner ticket, you need to go to the same terminal as if you were buying a shinkansen ticket. The machines are easy to figure out. Why a liner? There’s slow trains that go this way too. Slow being they stop a lot. But you want a fast one because a liner will take you nearly 3 hours.

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