Welcome to Himeji Castle 姫路城. Nicknamed the White Heron (or white egret, apparently they couldn’t decide on a white bird…) Castle for its coloring. She (are castles like ships? Female? They are now!) is the 6th in my quest to see all 12 of the original Japanese castle. Himeji castle is, in fact, the largest castle in Japan, located in Hyogo Prefecture in Himeji City.

[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 from you using my link.  The price for you is not affected.

A bit of history and designations

Himeji Castle dates back to the early 1300s when it started as a fort atop the hill.  Ripped down and built into a castle around 1346, it was again redone… have you been reading my castle posts in order?  Yup, you guessed it.  Around 1600.  It was later expanded on and has remained the same for 400 years.  Himeji City was burned to the ground during WWII but the castle survived.  She also survived some really massive earthquakes.  Most importantly, she didn’t get ripped down during the Meiji period as so many castles did.

Of the 83 buildings that make up the castle grounds, 74 are designated as Important Cultural Assets. SEVENTY FOUR! That’s insane. The other castles maxed out at 11 or so.  That equates to 11 corridors, 16 turrets, 15 gates, and 32 earthen walls.  Himeji Castle is not just an important cultural property though, it’s also a UNESCO world heritage site which was designated in 1993.  Japan’s first. Translation: Himeji Castle is Japan’s most visited Japanese castle.  With good reason!

And remember, that’s 83 buildings that are still existing at Himeji Castle. There used to be so many more!

The approach to Himeji Castle

Himeji Castle awes you the second you pull into Himeji Station. Generally speaking, when I get off the train somewhere, I’m trying to figure out which exit to leave from.  Not necessary here. Straight view of the castle as soon as we pulled in on the shinkansen.

Once you walk up the street from the station (or there are buses), you’ll come to this bridge and gate. The gate is called Sakuramon, so the bridge is Sakuramon bashi (bashi is the Japanese word for bridge). With the castle looming in the background, it’s a beautiful sight.

The moat? If you are visiting on the weekends, there are boat trips you can take along in. There aren’t very many though so get your tickets early.

Bring your walking shoes for this one (I love my Teva sandals for travel).  The overall castle is nearly a mile at the widest points in each direction.

The Main Keep

Unlike Kochi Castle, Himeji Castle’s main keep is all about the military function.  You have to remember with Japanese Castle keep’s that the tiers don’t always match the floors. So whereas from the outside it looks like five tiers, the inside has a basement and six floors – lots of stairs to climb!  If you were an invading army, there are all sorts of defenses INSIDE as well as the fact that you had to make it all the way to the keep in the first place!  武者隠し (mushakakushi) are little hiding holes throughout that you could be attacked from.

There were also platforms on some of the floor that I originally thought someone must stand on to give a speech or something.  The ceilings were super high, seemed to make sense.  In actuality, they are so that people could throw rocks out the windows at invading armies. Don’t forget the death holes for shooting guns and arrows.  (Actual name is loophole).

When you go inside, you’ll take off your shoes and carry them with you.  They give you plastic bags to use as you’ll leave at a different spot than you came in at.  The stairs that you walk up to enter the castle have, of course, been there forever and there’s a sign to call your attention to the fact that samurai and lords have walked up them barefoot just like you.  Kind of fun.

The first floor is nearly 6000 sq. ft. (?!?!?) with follow on floors slowly getting smaller until the top floor is “only” 1240 sq. ft. That’s twice as big as most people’s apartments in Japan! You’ll get to walk through the whole thing.  Its’ really neat with the lighting they have throughout.  It’s also surprising how tall the ceilings are.  The whole keep is just over 150 feet tall. The fact that they were able to make such a structure with just wood is amazing to me.

The Princesses Bailey

Sadly, the palaces are no longer in existence. Neither the main palace for the Lord or the one he made when his daughter married. If you want to see a palace, head to the Imperial Palace in Kyoto, Nijo Castle, Kawagoe Castle, Kakegawa Castle, or Nagoya Castle (though that one is a reconstruction). There’s also an imperial villa in Nikko. You can still see the long corridors that made up the princess servant’s living quarters though.  These are incorporated into the walls protecting the palace.  The princess also had her own quarters as a “retreat” or some such at the end of the corridors and this still is there.

How Much time do you need for Himeji Castle?

Give yourself at least 2 hours if it’s not busy, but lean towards a half day.  Probably more if it’s busy.  There is so much to see! During Cherry Blossom season they limit the number of tickets to 15,000 so be wary of that too. And because they get so busy, it’s like Disney, where they give you wait times to the ticket counter and the castle keep! If you get there late in the day and there are long waits, keep in mind that your ticket is only valid for the day you purchased it.

Also you can only purchase tickets to Himeji Castle at the ticket counter the day of visit. Tickets for Himeji Castle are 1,000 yen for adults at the time of writing this. You can add on the neighboring Japanese garden for 40 yen more!

One of the times I was at Himeji during the summer. It can be brutally hot, and with such large grounds to walk around in broad sunlight, please make sure that you have ample water supply. Luckily it’s Japan and you can find vending machines all over. But, seriously, drink up, lots of people were getting heatstroke that day!

Part of the reason you should stay in Himeji the whole day, is for the beautiful night views of Himeji Castle. Stop by an izakaya and then see it after dark. The paid portion of the grounds closes around 5 pm but you can see the unpaid version later. At different times of the year they have events there.

Getting your Castle Stamp

Don’t forget your stamp for the 100 finest castles while you are here! The 100 Famous Castles in Japan (日本百名城, Nihon Hyaku Meijyou) were chosen by the Japan Castle Foundation (日本城郭協会, Nihon Jōkaku Kyōkai) and include castles all over the country, including the 12 originals.

The stamps make for a fun souvenir as well as a record of all the castles you have been to. There is a guidebook that you can get to keep them in (and turn them in for a prize if you get them all!).

How to get to Himeji Castle

From any of the big tourist spots (Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto) it is an easy shinkansen ride to get to Himeji, I love all trains in Japan! From Shin Osaka Station to Himeji Station take the Hikari Shinkansen in around 35 minutes. Taking the JR Tokaido/Sanyo Shinkansen from Kyoto to Himeji takes about an hour.

The longest is going to be from Tokyo. If you can take the Nozomi shinkansen, from Tokyo to Himeji is 3 hours. On the JR Rail Pass? It’ll be about 3.5-4 hours. I’d suggest going straight there and then making your way back to other sites in Kyoto and Osaka (if you are doing the “main circuit” as I like to call it). Or keep going from Himeji to some of the other 12 original castles of Japan. I’ll be working on full itinerary options for this soon! Make sure to sign up for the newsletter to keep posted.

The view from the shinkansen platform of the lead into the castle is very unique. You’ll take the north exit and it’s about a 1 km walk to get to Sakuramon bridge to get into the castle complex. Speaking of, there are tons of paths and parks around the castle to track your steps.

Is Himeji Castle Worth it?

Yes! Especially if you are interested in Japanese history and of course, Japanese castles. I will say though Himeji Castle is amazing, she’s not my favorite. Matsuyama Castle in Shikoku still holds that one.  Sometimes the crowds are right but it’s important to stick to your guns if you have a differing opinion.  That’s what makes the world interesting.

All that said, please, if you are only in Japan for a little while, go see Himeji Castle.  You won’t be disappointed. 

What is there to do near Himeji Castle?

One the castle grounds, you can visit the Edo period-style Kokoen gardens. You can get a combined entrance pass for both the castle and the gardens, adding the Japanese Gardens is all of 40 yen more! While not one of the top three gardens like the one in Okayama, they are beautiful nonetheless! In fact, Japanese gardens are very often a nice side quest to Japanese castles.

If you decide to walk to the castle, you can approach down the main drag, Otemae Street (which has lots of statues – Japan loves statues) or the Himeji Ekimae shopping street (with an arcade). Great way to keep out of the sun on those hot days but also good if it is raining!

Have you tried the rather simplistic but super delicious Japanese food, 玉かけめし (Tamakakemeshi or sometimes as tamakakegohan)? It’s a raw (don’t worry, they are safe!) egg on top of warm rice. Don’t knock it till you try it. Tamagoya across from the Sakuramon bridge has it. There is also a Cremia stand there in the summer, the best soft serve I’ve found in Japan.

While you are in Hyogo Prefecture, don’t forget to head over to Kobe for some Kobe Beef.

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.

Like this post? Pin it for later.

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.

Pin this for later

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?

Todaiji (東大寺), which literally means “eastern great temple”, was first constructed in 752 and is a waif of what it used to be. It has some crazy history behind it.  At one point it so powerful that it single-handedly moved the capital of Japan away from Nara. 

Check this one off your UNESCO World Heritage Site list while you’re visiting the deer in Nara.

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

Japan’s Largest Temple Gate

This whole post is going to be about a lot of “largest” or as I like to say, a competition of status (there’s a lot of that in Japan).  Walking through Nara Park from the station, you’ll enter the Todaiji complex through its “Great South Gate” which is the largest temple entrance in Japan.

There are 18 supports that hold the roof a staggering 25.46 meters in the air. Make sure you check out the guardians on your way through. They are referred to as 仁王 (ni-ou, two kings) and are the guardian gods of Buddhism who stand at the entrance of a Buddhist temple. These ones happen to date back to 1203 AD though!

大仏殿 Daibutsuden (Big Buddha Hall)

While there are many websites including Todai-ji, claiming that the main hall Daibutsuden (Big Buddha Hall), is the world’s largest wooden building, Guinness doesn’t back that up. The 1692 reconstruction isn’t to be missed though! (Like many things in a country where wood construction prevailed, it’s been rebuilt.)  Only two-thirds the original size (eek!) it’s a sight to be seen even if not it’s full original glory. Daibutsuden or the Big Buddha Hall at Todaiji height and depth remain the same but it originally was much wider.

That’s one big Buddha…

Speaking of skewed records, Nara’s own website claims that the Buddha housed inside is Japan’s largest Buddha statue. At just under 15 meters high, it’s big but a more proper designation would be Japan’s largest Vairocana Buddha.

In Chinese, Korean, and Japanese Buddhism, Vairocana is also seen as the embodiment of the Buddhist concept of Śūnyatā. Sunyata means “emptiness” in Sanscrit.

What’s my beef with people calling it the largest? For one, Takaoka Daibutsu (高岡大仏) in Toyama Prefecture is 15.85 meters. Ibaraki Prefecture would also like to take that claim with Ushiku Daibutsu (牛久大仏). At a whopping 120 meters, I’d say it takes the cake.

Original Plans of Todaiji

The original complex also contained two giant pagodas, which would have been some of the tallest, if not THE tallest structures of the time. They burned along with the rest of the complex and were never rebuilt but you can see a model inside the great hall that includes them. 

Gaining Enlightenment from Buddha’s nostril

At the base of one of the wooden pillars, there is a square cut out referred to as the Buddha’s nostril.  At first, I didn’t think anything of it, “oh, wonder why there’s an opening in that one”.  Until the tourists in front of me got down on all fours and started crawling through it! 

This opening is called the Buddha’s nostril due to its size comparison with the bronze statue.  For whatever reason, it is said that if you can pass through, that you will gain enlightenment in the next life.  Enlightenment just handed to you? OK, I’ll jump, or crawl as it may be.

Todaiji vs. Todaiji Temple

By the way, the “ji” in Todaiji is the word for “temple” so no need to call it “Todaiji Temple”. You’d just be doubling your words.

Access to Todaiji

Entrance to the Great Buddha Hall is available every day of the year, just be sure to check the times as they shift slightly due to the seasons.  The cost is 500円 for adults and 300 円 for children.

Definitely add Todaiji Temple to your list of things to do in Japan.

Pin this for later

You’ve probably heard about feeding deer in Nara Park while researching things to do in Japan. I’m sorry, Nara.  The deer in Nara might outshine the UNESCO World Heritage sites. There are Sika deer on Assateague Island on the Eastern Shore of Virginia where I spent many a summer growing up.  However, I’ve only ever seen them in the distance until coming to Nara. Feeding deer in Nara Park is definitely an experience to be had. 

Side note: Sika is the English spelling of the word for deer in Japanese (鹿), so if you say sika deer, it’s actually saying “deer deer”.  Shika or Sika (depending on how you romanize the word) are native to Japan and are sometimes be referred to as “Japanese deer”.

[Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in July 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.

How to find Nara Park (奈良公園)

A quick 5-minute walk from Kintetsu-Nara Station will get you to the edge of Nara Park.  How do you know you’ve reached it? The deer!

Nara Park has been designated a 名勝 (めいしょう) or scenic park since 1922. One of the oldest parks in Japan, Nara Park opened in 1880. Make sure you bring your walking shoes (I love my Tevas), as, at over 500 hectares, you’ll be doing a lot of walking.

Speaking of, do you like to track your steps while you are traveling? My favorite fitness watch is the Garmin Fenix 5S. It can hook to my smartphone, has built-in GPS for running, and the battery lasts nearly a week.

Nara Park is huge and you can spend a lot of time walking around and seeing the different herds, plus it leads you to all of the UNESCO World Heritage sites, including Todaiji Great Buddha.

Like festivals? With so many shrines and temples (and the deer) co-located in Nara Park, there’s nearly always a festival going on.

Why are there deer in Nara anyway?

The capital of Japan was moved to Nara in the 700s and thus started the Nara Era. The ruling family (Fujiwara) built the Kasuga Taisha (春日大社, Kasuga Grand Shrine) as their tutelary shrine (a Shinto shrine meant to protect the area).

There is a story that the first of the shrine’s four deities came riding over on a white deer in 768. So for over 1000 years, the deer in Nara have been considered sacred.

So much so that it apparently used to be an offense punishable by death if you killed one of them!  While that hasn’t happened in many years, you can still get thrown in jail over it.

Nowadays the deer of Nara (奈良のしか) are designated as 天然記念物 (てんねんきねんぶつ) or natural monuments by the Agency of Cultural Affairs.

How many deer are in Nara Park?

As of 2019, there are 1,388 deer in Nara. The send a small army of people out to survey them every year which sounds fun but also, I’d be worried I’d accidentally double count some!

Every year some of the deer die in car accidents so if you choose to drive, watch out for the deer! They are tiny, the males only get up to about 85 cm at their shoulder (or about 3 feet converting to English units).

And while they sometimes get hit by cars, they also seem to understand the concept of a crosswalk and pedestrian signals! Oddest thing to see a deer in Nara queuing to cross the street with everyone else.

What do you feed the deer in Nara?

The sika diet mainly consists of a grass called ノシバ (noshiba) which can be found all over Nara Park and other small plants. However, they love 鹿せんべい (shika senbei) or deer crackers!

This snack is made out of rice bran without any sugar or spices added to it so it’s edible for the deer in Nara, but they shouldn’t be having tons of it I’m sure. That doesn’t stop some of them from hanging out by where they are sold!

There are small carts scattered throughout Nara Park where you can find crackers for sale.  Last time I was there it cost 150円 (or about $1.50 USD) for a stack of them. I can’t imagine the price changes often.

Part of the proceeds for buying deer crackers goes to conservation efforts.

Where to find the deer in Nara

While the stands aren’t everywhere (remember this is a big park!), the deer most certainly are and you’ll find them in fields, in the woods, blocking your walking path to Todaiji Big Buddha…

You get my point. But because the senbei stands aren’t everywhere, I suggest you stock up in case you run into some deer and you aren’t near one of the stands.

Tips for feeding deer in Nara

Every year many tourists get hurt so the cracker stands started to include directions on how to properly feed the deer in Nara. The signs are in Chinese, English, and Japanese but here’s what to expect.

1. Make sure you watch any small children. I feel like this is self-explanatory. The deer are a small breed but they are still powerful. They nearly knocked me down on several occasions!
2. Don’t taunt the deer while feeding them. I.e. don’t try and give them a treat and then take it away (More on how to “properly” do that in a minute). They’ll just get mad and you’ll add to the statistics of people being hurt by them.
3. The deer are sneaky, watch out for others nearby. They may come to surprise you if they see you feeding their friends.
4. Watch your belongings, one of the deer definitely tried to run off with my camera bag! This is especially true if you took the above advice and have some crackers in your bag!
5. Only feed them the senbei (crackers). People-food (or plastic, heaven forbid) can be deadly to these little guys.
6. When you are out of crackers, raise your hands so the deer can see you don’t have anymore. Else you might get nipped!

Speaking of nipping, Japan is very strict about bringing animals into their country and as such is rabies-free. There also haven’t been any other infectious diseases transmitted so If you are bitten, you don’t need to worry so much.

Bowing deer in Nara

If you thought the deer’s ability to properly cross the road was odd, how they go about getting treats might surprise you even more.

They bow.

As if that wasn’t the most Japanese thing of them to do.

The trick is If you put the crackers over their heads, they’ll do a little bow, and you hand them the treat for them to eat. It’s adorably cute and fun.

[Disclaimer: I don’t normally condone feeding wild animals, this is definitely a special case and a way to keep the herds from causing a nuisance! Japan does similar things with large populations of monkeys.]

Warning: Wild animals Ahead

You’ll see signs around Nara Park to remind you that the deer in Nara are in fact wild animals. They are kind of adorable with the little cartoons biting, kicking, butting, and knocking people over on them.

Please don’t antagonize the poor things, they aren’t meant to be chased or hit or ridden (I’m sure someone has tried to do that with a child). As they are designated natural monuments, you can be punished for violating the Cultural Property Protection Law if you do!

I suggest feeding deer in Nara in areas where there aren’t herds of them.  I made that rookie mistake because I was super excited and didn’t want to wait.  End result? Slight mobbing by the deer and a few nips.  Yes, they bite.  No damage was done but something to watch out for. 

You’ll want to watch what time of year you are there as well. The females are very protective of their fawns in Spring time and the males can get aggressive when they are trying to find a mate in the fall.

Deer events in Nara

If feeding deer in Nara wasn’t enough fun for you, there are three different events throughout the year to keep you entertained as well!

鹿寄せ Shikayose, Deer Calling

Scattered throughout the year, you have opportunities to see an event called 鹿寄せ(shikayose) or deer calling. It’s been going on since 1892 in which someone on a french horn calls out to the deer and they come scurrying in from all over to get some acorns.

Why? If someone knows, they aren’t talking!

If you can’t make one of the set days you also have the opportunity to reserve your own private screening up to a year in advance, for a cool 21,000 yen (about $210 USD). The money goes to the conservation efforts.

See baby deer at Rokuen!

Rokuen (鹿苑) is a small sheltered area that they move the mother deer to with their fawns to keep them safe after they are born.

In June, you can go see them for yourself! At the event you can get special deer treats to feed them as well as acorns.

鹿の角切り Deer Antler Cutting Ceremony

The 鹿の角切り or Deer Antler Cutting Ceremony is held every year normally around the 2nd or 3rd week of October. It originally started in 1672, and with a brief hiatus in Meiji Era has been going on every since.

You know how I said the male deer get a little aggressive when they are getting frisky? People apparently were getting injured so to help out, this event ceremoniously cuts their antlers.

Don’t worry, that doesn’t hurt them. Antlers are kind of like finger nails, no nerves or blood vessels.

The event if you happen to be there costs 1,000 yen for adults or 500 yen for children. Unless you are in the Nara Deer Protection Society and get in for free.

Join the Nara Deer Protection Society

The Nara Deer Protection Society (奈良の鹿愛護会) is supported through membership, so if deer are your thing, here’s a charity for you! Membership comes with a member card, a bi-yearly magazine (in Japanese), free admission into the two yearly deer events, as well as entrance into many of the local attractions in Nara for free – including Todaiji Great Buddha!

While you can sign up at anytime, membership follows the Japanese school year of April to March and will run you about 5000 yen ($50 USD). But, if you want to contribute to the protection of the deer in Nara, plus have your entrances covered, it’s there for you.

Getting to Nara

Taking the train from Kyoto to the Kintetsu-Nara Station will take you about 35 minutes depending on which train you get on. Look out for when the Kintetsu Limited Express runs as it will get you there without a transfer.

While Kintetsu-Nara Station is the closest to the park so you can feed the deer in Nara right away, you will not be able to use your JR Rail Pass for that line and will need to have some money on your IC Card. The ride as of writing this is 640 yen one way.

If you are looking to use your JR Rail Pass, you can head to Nara Station and have a little bit of a walk. However, it’s a much longer train ride. Many people do Nara as a day trip from Kyoto so I suggest Kintetsu-Nara so you get the most out of your trip.

Coming from Tokyo? Shinkansen down to Kyoto Station and follow the above!

Didn’t get enough deer time in? There are also a bunch of deer in Miyajima!

Pin this for later

I hope you have an awesome time with whichever deer event you get to experience.

One final tip – if you follow my advice and stopped by the tourist information center for some local maps, beware! If you are looking at it and deer are by, they may try and grab it! I was glad I accidentally grabbed two!

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.

Pin this for later

Nara is not just for the deer! A quick hour train ride from either Kyoto or Osaka, if you love history, you want to spend at least a full day in Nara. A weekend is better! Especially if you are like me and want to tick off all the UNESCO World Heritage sites. The capital city of Nara Prefecture, Nara was the capital of Japan before the emperor moved to Kyoto in the late 8th century by way of Nagaoka for 10 years.

Real Quick History: Why isn’t it still the capital?

The Nara Period lasted less than a 100 years thanks to all of the Buddhist Temples I’m about to tell you about. Nara, or as it was known then Heijō-kyō (平城京), was designated the capital of Japan in 710. Or more so the capital was moved there. You can thank Empress Genmei for that, the 43rd ruler of the Chrysanthemum Throne. Yes, I said empress.

As the temples grew, they quickly started to have way to much political influence for the royal families liking. So they moved! I think one of the more interesting pieces of this cute little town – minus the deer, of course.

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.  The price to you is not affected!  

UNESCO Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara and National Treasures

You can’t talk about Nara and not talk about UNESCO world heritage sites! It’s actually collectively as a whole a UNESCO Site and consists of eight location which should be on your must see list while here. These are further designated by the Japanese government to include 26 buildings that are National Treasures and over 50 important Cultural properties!

If you like historical buildings, Nara is your place.

1. 元興寺 (Gangō-ji, Gango Temple)

Fun fact. When the capital was moved to Nara, so was this temple! It was originally called Asaku-dera or Hoku-ji. With the move, came a new name. As they say on their website “the place where the first Buddhist temple was built”. The origin temple. One of the oldest, if not THE oldest Buddhist temple in Japan.

2. 平城宮 (Heijō-kyū, Heijō Palace)

The Heijo Palace was the imperial palace during the Nara Period. It was abandoned when they moved the capital way from Nara. There has been extensive excavation work and you can see the reconstruction of the main gate.

3. 春日大社 (Kasuga-taisha, Kasuga Grand Shine)

Ah, our only Shinto shrine in the mix! There are 3,000 分社 (bunsho, branch shrines) around Japan for Kasuga taisha according to their website. That’s a big deal, it means people really like this kami or god. The branch shrine is an important concept in shintoism coming from Bunrei 分霊 which means “seperate spirit”. The main shrine houses the “original” kami or god. Then there are other smaller shrines that same kami, with the same powers. There’s always a distinction for the main shrine though!

The shrine also has around the same amount of lanterns leading up to it.

4. 春日山原始林 (Kasugayamagenshirin,
Kasugayama Primeval Forest)

Located right at Kasuga-taisha is an ancient forest which has remained untouched since the 9th century! How? Apparently they banned logging and hunting in it. If you didn’t get enough exercise from just walking around Nara Park (more on that in a minute) and all of these sites, you can enjoy a hike up the mountain!

The trail is 11.5 km so make sure you’ve got some water with you. No vending machines this way! (Yes, you can find them on hikes sometimes!) .

I love my camelbak insert that I can fill as needed on my day pack!

5. 興福寺 (Kōfuku-ji, Kofuku Temple)

Elegantly in English “the temple that generates blessings”, Kofukuji has been in it’s present location since the 700s. It is one of the two head temples of the Hosso Sect of Buddhism. Four of it’s buildings have been designated National Treasures and two are Important Cultural Properties. My favorite is probably the five story pagoda.

6. 東大寺 (Tōdai-ji, Eastern Great Temple)

Todai-ji (東大寺) was constructed in 752 as the head temple of all provincial Buddhist temples of Japan. This building is literally why Nara is no longer the capital. The temple had way too much influence on government affairs!

While there are many websites claiming that Daibutsuden (Big Buddha Hall) is the world’s largest wooden building, Guiness doesn’t back that up. Regardless, the present 1692 reconstruction at two thirds of the original temple hall’s size is impressive.

Make sure to check out one of Japan’s largest bronze statues of Buddha (大仏, Daibutsu).

7. 唐招提寺 (Tōshōdai-ji, Toshodai Temple)

You will need to take a bus to get to this one, it’s not as central as most or you can walk from the last one I’ll tell you about. While it doesn’t have as many subsidiary temples anymore (that always seems like a franchise to me), they somehow still own 17 National Treasures and more than 200 Important Cultural Properties!!!

8. 薬師寺 (Yakushi-ji, Yakushi Temple)

I left the far ones for last, this is easiest to get to by train. Nishinokyo Station is about 20 minutes from Kintetsu Nara Station and then it’s a quick walk. It’s another that moved when the capital moved. Did you know they did the same thing with castles sometimes? It just amazes me the engineering feat it must have been to pull something off like that!

9. Nara Park (奈良公園, Nara Kōen) and the deer!

Nara Park holds the claim to being one of the oldest parks in Japan. It also has been designated as one of the “Places of Scenic Beauty” by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT or more cutely Monka-sho, 文部科学省, Monbu-kagaku-shō).

Get our your walking shoes as the park is well over 1,000 acres. The best part? Hanging out with the 1,400 or so wild sika (シカ or 鹿 shika, deer) ! They are considered sacred and it use to be punishable by death if you killed one. Now, they are designated as national treasures and you can feed them special deer crackers (鹿煎餅 Shika-senbei).

10. Witness the deer calling

Shikayose (鹿寄せ) happens in the winter and summer. 寄せ (yose) can mean “to gather” but it can also mean “last move” in a game of go or chess. So the event is a “deer gathering” but if you consider the alternative meaning, it’s funny to think of it like some crazy video game where the deer come out from the woodwork.

How do they get gathered? A french horn playing Beethoven’s 6th Symphony of all things! It takes place in the morning near the Nara National Museum. Remember, I absolutely adore Japan’s tourism information, and you can check out dates and times there.

11. Nara in Autumn?

If you aren’t around for the deer calling, you may be for another special deer event! In Autumn since the Edo period, the antlers are ritualistically cut to keep the deer safe from each other. (And probably doesn’t hurt the people factor). It’s rather morbidly called 鹿の 角切り (shika kakugiri) or deer dicing.

12. Try some local beer

Have we met? I always try the local beer when I’m out exploring! Naramachi Brewery is located to the west side of the park but you can also find it places throughout the city, like Sakura Burger.

How to get to Nara

From Tokyo, you can either fly or take the shinkansen.  I prefer the train as you’ll want to do some jumping around the surrounding area as well.  It’s easiest to combine with a trip to Osaka or Kyoto, if you are doing the “main circuit” as I like to call it.

Where to stay?

While you could stay in Kyoto, I’d suggest saying local so you really get your deer loving in and send a few days in Nara. With all of the world heritage sites, there’s definitely enough to keep you busy!

If you go for the centralized plan of one of the bigger cities, personally, I’m a huge fan of APA hotels (pronounced how it’s spelt, not as an acronym). They are fairly inexpensive (yes, that means small rooms), normally situated near the train station, and a lot of times has a public bath.

Slowing Down Time

The best part about a trip like this? And perhaps even my favorite part about travel, regardless of the place, is the more you fit in, the longer it appears to your brain you’ve been gone (More on that in Moonwalking with Einstein, it’s definitely true). Hitting Nara for a weekend trip could feel like weeks!

Utilize the Tourism Center

Nara City has one of the best tourism websites in English I’ve seen. They even have a 50 page “brochure”, that may as well be a book that you can download for free. If you need some further tips, check out this guide on how to research a trip to Japan.

Pin this for later

We have a new second place castle!  Hikone Castle (彦根城) in Shiga Prefecture! The main keep was finished in 1607. Sitting atop Hikoneyama, 彦根山, Hikone Mountain….it’s really just a hill. Designated as a National Treasure in 1952. Of the 12 remaining original castles in Japan, only 5 of them have this designation (the others are Important Cultural Properties). A combination of the overall layout and remains of this castle, coupled with the insides and other buildings. Add the garden and this is a full–on enjoyment.

It took 20 years of work to complete the entire castle.  The Important Cultural Property keeps going though, four of the other towers hold the designation. The whole castle area became a Special Place of Historical Interest in 1956.

Once you pass the horse stables (another Important Cultural Asset), the first thing that you will come across is the bailey walls at the bottom.

Unique Features of Hikone Castle

“Vertical” walls being something unique to this one. As well as the variety of gables unique to this castle. Bell shaped windows usually used in temple structures round out the uniqueness. Construction of this one is also unique in that there are no through pillars.

The uphill stone walls are called 登り石垣 or Nobori Ishigaki. Literally, climbing stone walls. Again, we’re very original with our names! There are five of them at Hikone Castle.

Stamp Rally

As one of the original 12 castles, she is also apart of the 100 finest castles in Japan.  Don’t forget your stamp!

Genkyu Rakurakuen Gardens

Down below the hill you have the beautiful Genkyu Rakurakuen Gardens. Some of the most spectacular I’ve seen in Japan. The gardens are part of the grounds for the Keyakigoten, or Keyaki Palace, which is now referred to as the Rakurakuen Goten or Palace.  The new name came from a poem most likely. I’m still trying to figure out why this isn’t counted as one of the “original” palaces as its been in place since 1677.

As best I can tell though, its because it was a subsidary residence for the lord. Meaning that he had another palace up in the baileys somewhere. Does it count as a vacation home if it’s literally a few hundred meters from your actual home?

Getting to Hikone Castle

Getting to Hikone Castle is quite easy. Just a quick walk to the grounds from Hikone Station, the long part will be getting you there. There is a shinkansen option, but there is also a Super Rapid JR train that will save you about 3000 yen but cost you thirty minutes. If you have a rail pass, and don’t mind making the transfer, I’d take the shinkansen.

Once there, they also have a loop bus but it was a beautiful day and we were in a rush.

Looking for other things to do while you are in Hikone? I wasn’t there long enough but their city website has a wealth of information.

If you are in Japan in August, most likely you will stumble upon a festival in the evening time.  Obon – Japan’s Festival of the Dead, was officially from August 13th to 16th in 2018 but can vary by region.  It is a series of events that enshrines the spirits of the ancestors.   One of those ancient events that interest me as so many cultures around the world have matching things.

Every year, my work place of roughly 2000 Japanese nationals and a couple hundred American’s invite their friends and families for a celebration.  I noticed while I was talking with some of my Japanese coworkers that some paperwork they had very much did NOT say “Obon” or ” お盆” and we started discussing.  I’ve only missed one year in the past five, colloquially, the American’s call it “bon”.  What was this 納涼大会??? And this is why I love learning about different cultures and languages.  Let me set the scene…

Summer Festival: A quick Japanese lesson

Let’s break down my work’s yearly events actual name:

納涼, noryo,  summer night or literally escaping the summer heat.  The way my coworker’s explained it (and this took some work as conveying things that don’t translate quite right is a game we like to play, both from English and from Japanese), in days of old a rich man that has the money to go, would leave the city and relax in the mountains where it was cooler. Those with no money or time to escape, still obviously wanted in on the deal.  So they have cold drinks, etc. to feel cool and relax during the summer evenings.

大会 – taikai, convention or big meeting.  That ones pretty straight forward.

So the event is actually “the big summer night meeting to escape from the heat”.

Now, let’s talk about Obon – Japan’s festival of the dead.

Or bon-odori as sometimes we American’s also call this event at work.

お盆 is shortened from the Chinese 盂蘭盆會うらぼんえ（會 is the complicated version of 会 and means conference, the native Japanese speakers say you rarely see that kanji anymore) and originates with a disciple of Buddha trying to retrieve his mother who had after dying fallen into the realm of Preta which is the Sanskrit name for a supernatural being in lots of folk religions that means they are going through a huge amount of suffering.  Making offerings to monks during their summer retreats, he was able to free his mother and danced for joy.  That’s how we got bon odori, or bon dance, 盆踊り, festival of the dead dancing, and how this all happens to take place during the month of August.

盆, bon, itself means “tray”.  (See what I mean about not being directly translatable??). Add an “お” on the front of it and it’s the honorific version.  It’s shortening down from “lantern festival” and that’s why you’ll see many lanterns during obon events as well as some of them are merely lantern events like this one I mentioned in Asakusa.

View this post on Instagram

Things happening this weekend in Tokyo: There’s so many festivals in Japan. This is one of the prettiest. Every August in Asakusa on Sumida River (head towards the Asahi building), people put their wishes on a paper lantern and send them down the river. You can see it from both sides of the river. Highly recommend. I’ll be up north or I’d be headed there myself!! .

A post shared by Japan Travel Blogger (@kristen_abroad) on Aug 8, 2018 at 7:57pm PDT

Buddhist tradition has families visit ancestral homes and clean the graves.  And make offerings…. on trays.  See? Everything comes full circle.  Belief is that spirits revisit the alter, very similar to the day of the dead in Mexican tradition and I’m sure other places around the world I don’t know about yet.

All summer festivals are 納涼大会 but not all summer festivals are Obon.

See, this is what I love about learning a language. You understand subtle cultural nuances that you wouldn’t without the understanding of what’s behind them.

So, what’s the event at work?

You may be asking.  It’s the largest by far of the four we have every year (summer festival, employee recognition, Christmas, and New Years), and it’s basically a big block party, like a bon festival you may see.  There are food booths, drinks, music, games for the kids.  And this… the bon dance.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frZPZbNQH_8[/embedyt]

Now, try and get that song out of your head ;).  Very much like Yosakoi has a song that must be used in competition, this is the bon song and you won’t go to a festival without hearing it.  You’ll also find it being played on the shopping street PA systems during the summer.

It’s also an excuse for me to wear my yukata as I can’t put it on without help.  Pretty common issue in general, so I take advantage of it.

The lanterns may be one of my favorite parts.

Everyone forms a large circle around the stage for, lack of a better term, the circle dances that occur.  They are traditional steps passed on for years that are not too hard to pick up but my work offers classes during lunch leading up to the summer festival.

What’s your experience with summer festivals? My favorite will always be Yosakoi!

Visiting Nara and need a suggestion for where to eat?  A stone’s throw from Kintetsu Nara Station in 東向北商店街 (Higashimukita shopping district), Sakura Burger is a great place either pre- or post- deer feeding (just wash your hands, you animal!) or Temple viewing (be honest, you went for the deer).

Beware though, we happened to stumble upon it right as they opened (11 am for lunch), the queue starts early!  By the time we left, it was wrapped around with at least 20 people. 

Burgers aren’t the most adventurous option when there are so many Japanese foods to try, but Sakura Burger is popular for a reason!

Sakura Burger Menu

The menu starts with the Sakura Burger choices which means they have their own smoked bacon on them with several different customization options. Avocado, sauteed onion, egg, and different sauces.

There are a few other options as well, avocado burgers tend to be a favorite of mine (anything with avocado in actuality, especially guacamole).  If you are pescetarian or vegetarian, there are fish and veggie burgers as well.

Hot dogs with a myriad of topping options and the hot sandwich options round out the holdable options.

To get a tasting of their other business (Asuka Smoke Works) where they do their smoking, you can try the sausage plates, curry worst and bacon steak. Or if you just want to have a sampling, there is a sample plater too!

The Name Sake: Sakura Burger

When you have a namesake menu item, I’m going to try it.  The Sakura Burger is a homemade patty with smoked thick-cut bacon, lettuce, tomato, and pickle.  As aforementioned I love avocado statements, I had to have some added to mine! And if you haven’t had egg added to your burger (a trait of “Navy Burgers” in Japan), try it!

Seasoned with salt, pepper, and their homemade tartar sauce, it’s delectable. When served, the waitress pointed out to ‘please try our homemade ketchup along with your burger’. 

It’s on the table so you can decide how much you want.  Trust me, you won’t want to go back to HFCS Ketchup every again. It’s good.

Asuka Smoke Works

Sakura Burgers manages the Asuka Smoke Works as well. This is where the yummy bacon, sausage, hot dogs, (and they smoke chicken!) comes from. But also, if you have ever wondered how to make sausage, they have a workshop on it!

Yes, there is a special way to eat burgers

Did you notice the paper wrapping around my burger? If you’ve been following along, you’ve seen those before. Leave that burger in there! It helps keep all the goodness together and makes it much easier to eat.

Especially when you get a monstrosity of a sandwich like I did! It also helps to make sure that the sauce doesn’t go all over the front of you (I’ve mentioned before how I’m a klutz).

Drink Local

I like trying the local beer wherever I go. It’s actually how I ended up finding Sakura Burger and they didn’t disappoint in that area.  They have several local breweries beer available. After walking through the park for hours, having a Nara Local Craft Beer was very refreshing.

The Atmosphere

The place has a good vibe to it, it’s pretty small but cozy.  One of the tables even consists of a couch in the back of the restaurant.  The staff is very friendly and helpful.

I’m a fan of their logo.  A cowboy on a deer. They do close down for an hour in the afternoon between lunch and dinner so make sure you don’t hit them at the wrong time.  Also, don’t let the crowd scare you, it’s worth the wait!

Have you been to Nara? What are your food recommendations?