Overlook Urban City & Great Garden. - Okayama Castle -
The black appearance of Okayama Castle, just behind Okayama Prefectural Library across a street, has earned it the appellation "Ujo Castle" or "Crow Castle." The uniquely structured castle has the base of an irregular pentagon, and it is the only castle that keeps its shape in Japan. Considering the circumstances of the period when established, it was hard to build a castle in a pentagon. But the feudal load constructed the keep to raise the dignity of a ruler by making it bigger and making an impregnable fortress by erecting columns on the firm ground around the end of the 16th century. Burned from air raids in World War II, the keep was rebuilt in 1966 with the original outside appearance and a living room in a traditional Japanese style of residential architecture, named shoin-zukuri.
The three-layered, six-story keep has a panoramic view of the urban area, including Okayama Korakuen Garden. Bizenyaki Studio in the castle provides a class of Bizen pottery for visitors.
Various events, including Ujo Hatsuyume Festival and Okayama Momotaroh Festival, are held at the castle.
Getting here: 15 min. by a city circular bus, "No. 3 Masuno Line'' of green-colored "Megrin'' from Okayama Station (in front of ICOTNICOT), and 5 min. on foot from Kencho-mae bus stop / Directly from Okayama Korakuen Garden; Pass through South Gate of the garden and cross the Tsukimi Bridge over the Asahi River.
Rental bicycles available at Ekirin-kun close to Hotel Granvia Okayama located near Okayama Station East Gate.
Click here to jump to the sightseeing map of downtown Okayama
Closed: December 29 to 31
Admission: 320 yen for adults (15 & over) / 130 yen for children(6-14) ( Period during Exchange of Displays; 160 yen for adults / 65 yen for children ) / Free for international students with a student ID in Okayama Prefecture
Combined tickets for Okayama Korakuen Garden or Okayama Korakuen Garden & Hayashibara Museum of Art available.
Group discount available for a group of 20 or more people.
Free Wi-Fi service available.