Castles in Japan, written in Japanese
28 castles across 21 prefectures, each with the kanji, the kana reading and a card you can print or save to your phone before you travel.
Castle grounds are usually a park with several entrances, and the keep can be a fifteen-minute walk from the road. Ask for the main gate — 正門 — unless you know otherwise.
| Kanji | Kana | English | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 姫路城 | ひめじじょう | Himeji Castle | Himeji, Hyōgo Prefecture |
| 大阪城 | おおさかじょう | Osaka Castle | Chūō-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture |
| 二条城 | にじょうじょう | Nijō Castle | Nakagyō-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture |
| 名古屋城 | なごやじょう | Nagoya Castle | Naka-ku, Aichi Prefecture |
| 首里城 | しゅりじょう | Shuri Castle | Naha, Okinawa Prefecture |
| 熊本城 | くまもとじょう | Kumamoto Castle | Chūō-ku, Kumamoto Prefecture |
| 松本城 | まつもとじょう | Matsumoto Castle | Marunouchi, Nagano Prefecture |
| 彦根城 | ひこねじょう | Hikone Castle | Hikone, Shiga Prefecture |
| 犬山城 | いぬやまじょう | Inuyama Castle | Inuyama, Aichi Prefecture |
| 松山城 | まつやまじょう | Matsuyama Castle | Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture |
| 原城 | はらじょう | Hara Castle | Minamishimabara, Nagasaki Prefecture |
| 駿府城 | すんぷじょう | Sunpu Castle | Aoi-ku, Shizuoka Prefecture |
| 岩国城 | いわくにじょう | Iwakuni Castle | Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture |
| 上野城 | うえのじょう | Iga Ueno Castle | Iga, Mie Prefecture |
| 新田金山城 | にったかなやまじょう | Kanayama Castle | Ōta-shi, Gunma Prefecture |
| 唐津城 | からつじょう | Karatsu Castle | Karatsu, Saga Prefecture |
| 高崎城 | たかさきじょう | Takasaki Castle | Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture |
| 高島城 | たかしまじょう | Takashima Castle | Suwa, Nagano Prefecture |
| 人吉城 | ひとよしじょう | Hitoyoshi Castle | Hitoyoshi, Kumamoto Prefecture |
| 唐澤城 | からさわじょう | Karasawa Castle | Sano, Tochigi Prefecture |
| 久留米城 | くるめじょう | Kurume Castle | Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture |
| 村上城 | むらかみじょう | Murakami Castle | Murakami, Niigata Prefecture |
| 津城 | つじょう | Tsu Castle | Tsu, Mie Prefecture |
| 日野江城 | ひのえじょう | Hinoe Castle | Minamishimabara, Nagasaki Prefecture |
| 米子城 | よなごじょう | Yonago Castle | Yonago, Tottori Prefecture |
| 長岡城 | ながおかじょう | Nagaoka Castle | Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture |
| 浜田城 | はまだじょう | Hamada Castle | Hamada, Shimane Prefecture |
| 三戸城 | さんのへじょう | Sannohe Castle | Sannohe, Aomori Prefecture |
Frequently asked questions
How do I ask a taxi for a Japanese castle?
Castle grounds are usually a park with several entrances, and the keep can be a fifteen-minute walk from the road. Ask for the main gate — 正門 — unless you know otherwise.
Do these names work outside a taxi?
Yes. The same card works at a station information desk, a hotel front desk or a police box (交番). The Japanese characters are the part that communicates; the English and romaji on the card are only there so you know what you are showing.