This is one of West Japan’s best scenic places for cherry blossoms. In the expansive grounds are 10 meter high stone walls that intertwine with the path leading through the park, meshing together to look like cascading layers of stone from a distance. Soaring above the stone walks is the majestic castle tower, and in spring the cherry blossoms bloom along the walls to create an even more stately scenery. Also impressive are the views from the main castle enclosure of an ocean of cherry blossoms cascading over the walls, and the illuminated castle tower seemingly floating in the night sky. Be sure to also try some of Tsuyama’s local delicacies, including its special dish of udon noodles with cow or pig offal.

Matsue Castle is one of the 12 castle towers remaining in Japan, and also a designated national treasure. The impressive architecture includes a fourfold and five-storied observation-style tower with a view in all four directions, as well as a basement, wooden sculptures of mythical carps adorning the roof, and a gabled front section among other features. Its orthodox-style castle tower is a historical relic and the only remaining one of its kind in Japan. In spring when the roughly 190 cherry blossom trees in the castle grounds are in bloom, you can enjoy a panoramic view of the cherry blossoms and the town spreading out below the castle from the top floor lookout of the tower. Along the northern moat of Matsue Castle are several samurai homes from the Edo period, which have been preserved for visitors to enjoy.

Also known as the Famous Castle of Stone Walls, Marugame Castle still has its original stone walls built using the most advanced techniques developed during the early Edo period, such as by roughly layering natural stones and rubble (nozurazumi) and joining together square stones (sangizumi). Look closely at the walls, and you can see the various stones used to build them. Standing perpendicular and facing toward the top of the stone walls is the particularly impressive Ogi-no-kobai fan-shaped stone wall; admiring these structures gives you a sense of the careful thought put into the castle’s construction, and superb techniques used by the craftsmen then. The cherry blossoms blooming in spring add a touch of elegance to the historical atmosphere of Marugame Castle.

Matsuyama Castle is built on the 132-meter tall Mount Katsuyama in the center of Matsuyama City in Ehime Prefecture. Built over a quarter of a century, it is one of the most impressive castles in Shikoku. Next to the castle tower is a smaller tower, along with gates, turrets, moats, crenels (indentations in castle walls used to shoot or fire missiles through), machicolations (openings in the corbels or floors of castles used to drop stones, boiling water or oil on attackers), high stone walls and other clever architectural designs. The top floor of the tower provides a commanding view of the cherry blossoms scattered around the castle’s main square, as well as stunning panoramic scenery as far as the plains of Matsuyama and the Seto Inland Sea. The Ninomaru Historical Garden at the base of Matsuyama Castle is also worth visiting.

Achieving victory in the Battle of Sekigahara, Kazutoyo Yamauchi became the first feudal lord of the Tosa domain in the Tokugawa Shogunate; he built Kochi Castle to be the center of his new government. Over 1200 laborers sweated and toiled every day to build this maginifcent castle, which impresses all who see it. It is also famous for being the only castle among the numerous ones in Japan in which all the original structures of its main building have been preserved. The castle also has 15 structures that have been designated as important cultural properties, such as its black iron Kurogane gate and Otemon gate. Leisurely viewing the many intricacies of Kochi Castle is particularly enjoyable in the spring when the cherry blossoms are in bloom.

(This information is as of March 2018)