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TOP CASTLES

★ ＴＯＰ５ ★

Five soaring keeps — from the snow-white 'Egret' to original wooden fortresses that survived war and time.

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NO.1

Himeji Castle 姫路城

Original keep, 'White Heron' ・ Hyogo (Himeji Stn) ・ ¥2,500 UNESCO; National Treasure

Japan's finest surviving feudal castle (1609); brilliant white walls earned it the name Shirasagi-jo, White Egret Castle.

Matsumoto Castle 松本城

Original keep, 'Crow Castle' ・ Nagano (Matsumoto Stn) ・ ¥1,300 National Treasure; original 12

One of Japan's oldest keeps (c.1593–94); striking black walls and a red bridge against the Northern Alps.

Hikone Castle 彦根城

Original keep + castle town ・ Shiga (Hikone Stn) ・ ¥800 National Treasure; original 12

Completed 1622, never destroyed; retains its keep, daimyo garden (Genkyu-en) and samurai-era streets.

Osaka Castle 大阪城

Reconstructed keep (museum) ・ Osaka (Osakajokoen Stn) ・ ¥1,200 Symbol of Osaka

Originally built 1583 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi; the 1931 keep houses a museum, ringed by huge original stone walls.

Nijo Castle 二条城

Flatland palace-castle ・ Kyoto (Nijojo-mae Stn) ・ ¥1,300 UNESCO World Heritage

Built 1603 as the shogun's Kyoto residence; famed for 'nightingale' chirping floors and gilded sliding-door art.

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