4.0Sendaijo Ato(1.045 reviews) - Samurais All Over Thursday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Historic Sites • Points of Interest & Landmarks • Castles
This was a fun place to visit. The shrine was neat and the statue was great! The first time we went there, there were samurai's there to take pictures with but the 2nd time we went, they weren't there. I'm not sure why one day they were there and one day they weren't.See more..
4.0Tsuruga jo Castle(968 reviews) - Underrated Castle With Fascinating History Thursday: 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM Spent 1-2 hours Castles
Gorgeous, quite large and picturesque castle with unique red-colored roof tiles and walls of pristine white surrounded by vast grounds full of nature, like cherry blossoms and more. Every corner is filled with a fascinating historical tidbit, making it worth going on a tour so you don't miss anything. The history of the castle is interesting and tragic, and it played a surprisingly big role, yet is relatively unknown. Also, definitely stop by the teahouse for a bowl of matcha while walking the grounds!See more..
4.0Hirosaki Castle(813 reviews) - Stunning in winter Thursday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Spent 2-3 hours Castles
The Sapporo Ice Festival may be bigger and more popular, but the snow lantern festival around Hirosaki Castle (first week of February) is less crowded and very quiet, too. Make sure you’re all bundled up before going, it gets pretty cold and take a short break at the Starbucks near the castle, it’s really pretty. Not sure if I missed the ticket gate but everything was for free, did not go into the tower, though.See more..
3.5Kubota Castle(168 reviews) - A small castle Castles
It was a pity that when we visited the castle, it’s a cloudy and rainy and therefore, everywhere was dark. But looking at the snow scene, it looked really nice. After visiting multiple castles here in Japan in the past, the size of this paled in comparison. It’s not a big one and inside, there was only a few levels available to visitors. The top level was a good place to have a birds eye’s view of the entire region. We were the only people there when we visited. Parking facilities were a bit of a walk though.See more..
4.0Shiroishi Castle(166 reviews) - NIce stop Temporarily closed - Closed until further notice Historic Sites • Points of Interest & Landmarks • Castles
Friendly locals on hand, and we could even dress up like samurai for free :) Nice views of the city below.See more..
Komine castle is One of the 100 Fine Castles of Japan, and in 2007 was designated a National Historic Site.See more..
3.5Yamagata castle(137 reviews) - Small but worth going in Castles
There is a small reconstructed gate and courtyard which are worth going inside if you are passing but they are not as large as the castles in many other Japanese citiesSee more..
