Lordly Lodgings: “Castle Stays” Aim at New Wave of Inbound Tourists

San Marino Ambassador to Japan Manlio Cadelo, and his wife wear samurai armor during their castle stay. (© Kyōdō)

Ōzu Castle was fortified to arrive at its current form in the early Edo period (1603–1868). The main tenshu keep was removed in 1888, but reconstructed in timber in 2004. Guests stay in a bedroom on the tower’s ground floor. (© Value Management)

The castle stay begins at 5:00 pm, after the castle closes to the public. Entry starts with a re-enactment of the 1617 arrival of the first lord of Ōzu, Katō Sadayasu, from the province of Yonago. (© Value Management)

Locals welcome guests in the opening ceremony, acting as members of the gun salute squad and banner bearers, and a conch-shell horn is sounded before the guest, the “lord of the day,” is announced. (© Value Management)

Hirado Castle sits atop a hill, enclosed by sea on three sides. It was constructed in 1704 as the residence of the local feudal lord, Matsura Takashi. In the Meiji era (1868–1912) the government ordered the demolition of castles across Japan, including Hirado, but the keep was rebuilt in 1962. (© Noroshi)

Tourists are accommodated in the two-story watchtower, reconstructed with reinforced concrete in 1977. (© Noroshi)

The first floor has modern Japanese dining and living rooms. The bathroom, with glass walls on three sides, looks out over the Hirado Ōhashi bridge. (© Noroshi)

Optional cultural activities include a samurai-style tea ceremony, Zen meditation, and sutra calligraphy. (© Noroshi)

Built in 1618 by the famed builder Matsukura Bungonokami Shigemasa, the castle was pulled down under the Meiji government, but reconstructed in 1964, based on historical records. It is rare instance of a castle with car parking inside the keep. (Courtesy of the Shimabara Tourism Bureau)

Guests will stay in the watchtower of Fukuyama Castle, sleeping in a spacious room on the second floor. The panels are adorned with the family crests of the area’s former feudal clans, Mizuno and Abe. (© Fukuyama Castle)