Tsurugajo Castle

I visited Tsuruga Castle early in the morning, and it was a wonderful experience. With the soft morning light shining from the front, the castle looked especially striking and made for beautiful photos without harsh shadows. The entire park area around the castle is very well maintained, with clean paths and lush greenery that make walking around pleasant and relaxing. There is a calm atmosphere at that time of day, allowing you to enjoy the scenery without crowds. It’s not only a historic landmark but also a peaceful place to start the day. Highly recommended for photography and a quiet stroll.

Most of the original castle no longer stands, but a lot of work has been done to restore it for visitors. The main keep is more of a museum about feudal life and the historical events around the Meiji Restoration. There is an outer tower that's part of the original castle and the ticket (Y520) also gives admission to the tea house/garden (you can pay extra to have tea and a snack there). The surrounding grounds are well maintained and it wasn't too crowded.

Great castle visit! Easy access and very visible assistance from staff all over the location. They seem to be putting a lot of effort into helping foreign tourists. I saw a foreign staffer at the info booth (he had excellent Japanese too from what I heard) and a good amount of English signage for the various exhibits in the castle. As of now, there's even a quick survey that foreigners can take to get a small gift with their visit. The castle itself does a great job of explaining the history of the castle and the area. You can really get a sense of how important the castle was if you take your time to read through what they have prepared. If you do so, you'll leave with a good sense of why the city decided to rebuild the castle and honor those who fought in the past.

It’s a rebuilt castle that only looks and feels like a castle from the outside. Inside it’s basically a museum that explains the history of the castle and of the region. Although the museum is very well done they could do much more in terms of having more English available on the walls. When we visited in the summer heat we did appreciate the air conditioning inside. If you’re looking for the authentic Japanese castle experience- this isn’t the one:

Tsurugajo Castle is beautiful and sits right in the middle of Aizuwakamatsu with a cute little park around it. We didn’t go inside as we’d heard the interior wasn’t as impressive as the outside. Compared to other castles like Osaka Castle, it’s a bit less striking, but still definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area.

The castle is free to walk through and around but if you want to walk through the temple in the middle you must pay. The whole site is amazing. We walked the outside above the water then around the middle - lots of information to read and photos to take. It really is a great example of Japanese history. Huge fish in the water too which were visible from the orange bridge.

Fantastic recreation of a 14th century castle. The grounds are sort of maintained. The main yard where visitors & schools mainly go is well looked after, but the perimeter walls and parapets, not so much. Heaps of school groups on the day we visited. Five levels, no photographs permitted on level 1. Limited english translations on information cards, so google translate, a guide or do some research before you come. The history is primarily of the local area, from the appointment of the first ruling family all the way through to the Boshin war. After the souvenir store, don't exit, walk to the end of the corridor, take off your shoes and there is another segment, which in part talks about the reconstruction of the castle. No lift between floors, if you can't climb stairs then you can't visit the tower. But plenty of elderly were there, slowly making their way up. The views from the top are fantastic. Souvenir shops at the end has an extensive range of gifts, from ninja swords to handmade items from local craftsmen. Highly recommend a visit if your nearby. A good way to spend a couple of hours.

Date of enjoyment: 11/4/25 We were a day or two early for the cherry blossom, just not our luck with castles and cherry blossoms but nonetheless this is an impressive structure and a great example of castles in Japan. There are best spots for photos dotted around the castle and it is all well marked. We drove and parked in one of the designated parking and same early. Access is good and very well manicured gardens and cherry blossoms viewing. Do allow 2 hrs for full enjoyment as there’s a bit of walking.