Wakayama Castle
Wakayama Castle, A Hilltop Castle In The City Of Wakayama Built For The Tokugawa Kishu Branch, A Concrete Rebuild Of The Keep With A Park, A Rare Roofed Walled Bridge And A Small Zoo. An Hour Or Two On The Way To Koyasan Or Kumano. · Wakayama, Wakayama
Wakayama Castle stands on a low hill, Mount Torafusu - confirm - in the middle of Wakayama city, the largest town in the prefecture south of Osaka. It was begun in 1585 by Toyotomi Hidenaga, half-brother of Hideyoshi, and later became the seat of the Kishu branch of the Tokugawa family, one of the three great collateral houses. The keep was burned in the war in 1945 and rebuilt in concrete in 1958 - confirm - so the interior is a modern museum with old armour and models, and the view of the city and the Kii channel from the top is the best part. In the grounds are the Ohashiromon gate, a roofed covered bridge called the Ohashi-roka, a quiet garden in the west enclosure, and a small, free zoo. It suits history readers and families who are already in the area, and visitors from Osaka. It is worth two hours on the way to Koyasan or Kumano, and not worth a special journey if you have seen Himeji or Osaka Castle.
3 Ichibancho, Wakayama, a short walk from Wakayama-shi Station or Wakayamashi Station on the Nankai and JR lines, Wakayama, Wakayama, Japan
The grounds are open most of the day and the keep and the garden commonly close around 17:00 with last entry about 30 minutes earlier - confirm. The keep may close for a few days at New Year and for maintenance. A small fee is charged for the keep and for the garden, and the park itself is free to walk. From Wakayama or Wakayama-shi Station it is a short walk or a short bus ride; IC cards work on the trains, while cash is needed at the keep desk and small cafes.