Screen Pilgrimage Real places behind anime and film, across Japan

TV anime · 2017

Castle Defense — real-life locations

Morioka Castle, Tagajo, Sendai Castle and more — 59 places you can visit, in Iwate, Miyagi, Akita. Every entry gives the nearest station, how long the walk is, and what to mind when you get there.

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Many of these are shrines, schools and people’s streets. Read the conduct note before you go.

Locations · 59

Morioka Castle

Iwate Start here

The Nanbu clan seat; its granite walls stand in what is now a park.

Getting there
Kami-Morioka Stn · 20 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Tagajo

Miyagi

The ruins of the Nara-period provincial seat and stockade of Mutsu.

Getting there
Kokufu-Tagajo Stn · 6 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Sendai Castle

Miyagi

Date Masamune’s castle on Aoba hill; the walls and his equestrian statue remain.

Getting there
International Center Stn · 14 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Kubota Castle

Akita

The Satake seat at Akita — an earthwork castle with no keep, now Senshu Park.

Getting there
Akita Stn · 13 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Yamagata Castle

Yamagata

Mogami Yoshiaki’s castle; the moat and a rebuilt main gate remain.

Getting there
Yamagata Stn · 8 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Tsuruga Castle, Aizu

Fukushima

The Aizu castle, pulled down after the 1868 siege and rebuilt in 1965.

Getting there
Nishi-Wakamatsu Stn · 22 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Komine Castle

Fukushima

The Shirakawa castle, with a three-storey turret rebuilt in wood.

Getting there
Shirakawa Stn · 5 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Mito Castle

Ibaraki

The Mito Tokugawa seat; its gate and rebuilt main gate remain.

Getting there
Mito Stn · 9 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Hachigata Castle

Saitama

A Hojo castle on the Arakawa cliffs, its earthworks and ditches intact.

Getting there
Orihara Stn · 19 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Edo Castle

Tokyo

The shogun’s castle; the keep base and walls stand in the East Gardens.

Getting there
Nagatacho Stn · 17 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Odawara Castle

Kanagawa

The Hojo stronghold; the keep is a 1960 reconstruction.

Getting there
Odawara Stn · 9 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Kofu Castle

Yamanashi

Built after the Takeda fell; the walls look over the Kofu basin.

Getting there
Kofu Stn · 5 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Ueda Castle

Nagano

The Sanada castle, known for turning back two Tokugawa armies.

Getting there
Ueda Stn · 13 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Matsumoto Castle

Nagano

One of the twelve surviving keeps; the black tower reflects in its moat.

Getting there
Kita-Matsumoto Stn · 14 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
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Kasugayama Castle

Niigata

Uesugi Kenshin’s seat; the whole hill is terraced with its enclosures.

Getting there
Kasugayama Stn · 21 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Takaoka Castle

Toyama

Maeda Toshinaga’s castle; its water moats survive as a park.

Getting there
Etchu-Nakagawa Stn · 10 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Sunpu Castle

Shizuoka

Where Ieyasu spent his last years; moats and turrets have been rebuilt.

Getting there
Shin-shizuoka Stn · 13 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Kakegawa Castle

Shizuoka

Yamauchi Kazutoyo’s castle; the keep was rebuilt in wood in 1994.

Getting there
Kakegawa Stn · 10 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Inuyama Castle

Aichi

A surviving keep above the Kiso river, and a National Treasure.

Getting there
Inuyama-Yūen Stn · 14 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Nagoya Castle

Aichi

A Tokugawa branch seat; the keep burned in 1945 and was rebuilt in 1959.

Getting there
Nagoyajo Stn · 8 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Okazaki Castle

Aichi

The castle Ieyasu was born in; the keep is a 1959 rebuild.

Getting there
Okazakikōen-mae Stn · 7 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
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Nagashino Castle

Aichi

The castle of the 1575 siege; its earthworks and ditches remain.

Getting there
Nagashinojo Stn · 10 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Iga-Ueno Castle

Mie

Todo Takatora’s castle of high stone walls; the keep is a 1935 wooden rebuild.

Getting there
Uenoshi Stn · 7 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Matsusaka Castle

Mie

Gamo Ujisato’s castle; its stone walls stand throughout.

Getting there
Matsusaka Stn · 14 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Odani Castle

Shiga

The Azai clan’s mountain castle, taken in 1573.

Getting there
Toga-Mikita Stn · 18 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Hikone Castle

Shiga

The Ii family castle — a surviving keep and a National Treasure.

Getting there
Hikone Stn · 20 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Azuchi Castle

Shiga

Nobunaga’s castle; the great stone stairway and foundations remain.

Getting there
Azuchi Stn · 25 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Kannonji Castle

Shiga

The Rokkaku mountain castle; walls lie scattered over Mt. Kinugasa.

Getting there
Azuchi Stn · 10 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Nijo Castle

Kyoto

The Tokugawa castle in Kyoto; its Ninomaru palace is original. A World Heritage site.

Getting there
Nijojo-mae Stn · 8 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Akashi Castle

Hyogo

A castle site where two three-storey turrets still stand side by side.

Getting there
Akashi Stn · 10 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Himeji Castle

Hyogo

The white keep and its linked towers — a National Treasure and World Heritage site.

Getting there
Kyōguchi Stn · 19 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Ako Castle

Hyogo

The Asano castle, surrendered after the incident of 1701.

Getting there
Banshu-Ako Stn · 20 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Wakayama Castle

Wakayama

The Kii Tokugawa seat; the keep is a 1958 rebuild.

Getting there
Wakayamashi Stn · 18 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Matsue Castle

Shimane

A surviving keep and a National Treasure; boats run its moat.

Getting there
Matsue-Shinjiko-Onsen Stn · 16 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Tsuyama Castle

Okayama

The Mori castle; known for its tiered walls and cherry trees.

Getting there
Tsuyama Stn · 15 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Okayama Castle

Okayama

Known for its black-boarded keep, with Korakuen garden across the river.

Getting there
Nishigawara Stn · 25 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Fukuyama Castle

Hiroshima

The castle you can see from the shinkansen platform; the keep was rebuilt in 1966.

Getting there
Fukuyama Stn · 6 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Hiroshima Castle

Hiroshima

The keep collapsed in the atomic bombing and was rebuilt in 1958.

Getting there
Jōhoku Stn · 7 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Tokushima Castle

Tokushima

The Hachisuka castle; its garden and walls remain.

Getting there
Tokushima Stn · 12 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Takamatsu Castle

Kagawa

A castle whose moat is filled from the sea; sea bream swim in it.

Getting there
Takamatsu-Chikko Stn · 10 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Marugame Castle

Kagawa

A surviving keep on what is held to be the tallest stone walling in Japan.

Getting there
Marugame Stn · 11 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Imabari Castle

Ehime

Todo Takatora’s castle at the water’s edge; the sea fills its moat.

Getting there
Imabari Stn · 22 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Yuzuki Castle

Ehime

The Kono clan’s castle site, beside Dogo Onsen.

Getting there
Dogo Onsen Stn · 7 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Matsuyama Castle

Ehime

A surviving keep on the hill above the city, reached by ropeway.

Getting there
Komachi Stn · 18 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Ozu Castle

Ehime

A castle on the Hiji river; the keep was rebuilt in wood in 2004.

Getting there
Iyo-Ōzu Stn · 6 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Uwajima Castle

Ehime

A surviving Date-clan keep on a hill in the middle of town.

Getting there
Uwajima Stn · 3 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Kochi Castle

Kochi

The only castle where the keep and the main palace both survive.

Getting there
Iriake Stn · 2 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Shimabara Castle

Nagasaki

The castle of the 1637 rebellion; the keep is a 1964 rebuild.

Getting there
Shimabara Stn · 11 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Hitoyoshi Castle

Kumamoto

The Sagara castle on the Kuma river; its walls remain.

Getting there
Sagarahanganjoji Stn · 5 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Obi Castle

Miyazaki

The Ito castle, with cedar groves and a samurai quarter around it.

Getting there
Obi Stn · 23 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Kagoshima Castle

Kagoshima

The Shimazu seat; its main gate was rebuilt in 2020.

Getting there
Kagoshima Stn · 16 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Shurijo Castle

Okinawa

The Ryukyu royal castle; the main hall burned in 2019 and is being rebuilt.

Getting there
Gibo Stn · 2 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Hirosaki Castle

Aomori

A surviving keep in Tsugaru, known for its cherry blossom.

Getting there
Chūō-Hirosaki Stn · 18 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Sakura Castle

Chiba

An earthwork castle with no stone walls; now a park beside the national museum.

Getting there
Keisei-Sakura Stn · 20 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Fukuoka Castle

Fukuoka

The Kuroda castle site, beside Ohori Park.

Getting there
Ōhorikōen Stn · 11 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Yoshinogari Site

Saga

A moated Yayoi-period settlement, with watchtowers and pit dwellings rebuilt.

Getting there
Yoshinogarikoen Stn · 17 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Kumamoto Castle

Kumamoto

Kato Kiyomasa’s castle; damaged in the 2016 earthquake, the keep has been restored.

Getting there
Kami-Kumamoto Stn · 12 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Sakado Castle

Niigata

The mountain castle of the Ueda Nagao, said to be where Naoe Kanetsugu was born.

Getting there
Muikamachi Stn · 14 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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Minakuchi Castle

Shiga

Built as a shogunal lodging; the moat and a rebuilt turret remain.

Getting there
Minakuchi-Jonan Stn · 3 min walk
Before you go
  • Keep your voice down
  • Very crowded — expect queues
Sources
聖地巡礼マップ — 御城プロジェクト:RE 〜CASTLE DEFENSE〜

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