Kakegawa Castle Palace

Feel the historical atmosphere of a lord's residence

Peter Sidell Mar 10, 2015 - 1 min read

<p>A close-up from one of the cute little dioramas</p>

<p>Sliding doors separated the various rooms</p>

<p>Looking down from the castle onto the palace</p>

<p>A serf's-eye view of the entrance</p>

<p>The Kosho-in was the lord's working room</p>

<p>Some of the rooms are a good size</p>

<p>A display of fearsome-looking weapons</p>

Overlooked by the castle on its hill, the palace was built within its grounds as the lord's official residence. After the feudal era ended, it was used variously by a girls' school, the fire station and the city office, before being restored and opened to visitors.

There's little English information, but it's very pleasant to pad around the tatami-floored rooms, elegantly decorated with wooden carvings, screen doors and alcoves for hanging scrolls. There are also displays of weapons, armour and other artefacts, and cute dioramas showing what I suppose are scenes from the castle's history.

Tickets for the castle keep and palace together cost ¥410 for adults, ¥150 for children between 6 and 15 years old.

Peter Sidell @peter.sidell

I came to Japan from Manchester, England in 2003, and have travelled a lot since then, around Japan and in Asia. When I'm not working, I write satire and perform stand-up comedy in and around Tokyo. Check YouTube for a taste.