Having finally arrived in Naruto after driving all night and day to get there, we slowly and tiredly dragged our things up the stairs to our accommodations. It was on one of these trips that I noticed something on a hill in the distance — “Is that a castle?” I asked Hunter. “…I think it is…” Later that night, we ventured to 7-11 for dinner and saw it illuminated close by! My friends and I decided we’d pay it a visit the next day.

After a briefly frightening adventure including Google Maps, an 8-seater van, and a super-steep, super-tiny road, we parked at a large parking lot with bathrooms a little bit away from the castle. We climbed the wide stairs leading up from the parking lot and turned right, away from the castle. There’s a small park area there (the flowers were gorgeous!) as well as a large amount of seating? Not sure what it’s there for. Maybe small concerts?

We headed to the castle next. There’s a small shrine on the way (with signs around it warning of snakes) and a small windowless building offering a great view of the city below.

The castle itself is nothing too special; people mostly went in to see the view from the top. There were no history exhibits or anything, and you can keep your shoes on inside (versus some fancy castles like Matsumoto and Matsuyama where you have to take them off). If you’ve got some time to kill, spend it here! There’s no admission charge either, so that’s a plus!