Bitchu Matsuyama Castle

This is one of the so called “12 genzon-tenshukaku”, roughly translated as “original castle keep”. These 12 castle keeps were built before or during the Edo period, and are not modern reconstructions like the Osaka or Nagoya castles.

This castle is famous for the castle keep but the current resident of the castle, Sanjurō, is probably more famous than the castle itself (see photos!).

The displays inside are all in Japanese and if you’re a foreigner, you may struggle to understand the castle’s history and construction.

I walked from Bicchu Takahashi station, and it took about half an hour to walk to the start of the climb to the castle. Yes, you read that right, it is a proper “climb” up a gradual but continuous uphill slope. You will need to have decent footwear if you want to walk to the castle from the bottom. It took me about twenty minutes to walk the mile or so but then I am reasonably fit. If you are not fit or have health issues, just take the cab from the station.

One thing I was not told when purchasing the entrance ticket for the castle (¥500) was that there is a combination ticket for the castle, the buke-yashiki (2 of them) and Raikyu-Ji temple for ¥1,000, which saves you ¥400 compared to buying all three entrance tickets separately.

Best season - Autumn

The cat is very lovely. The scene along the way to the castle from the bus station is also amazing. The way to the mountain is a little bit tiring. Please try to go there for an experience!
Visited > November 2021
I took many photos of the cat.

Definitely worth the trip. The castle is modest in a good way and the walk offers amazing views. We walked and it took around 1.5 hours each way from the train station. The climb is a bit steep but isn't too bad. Although quite a few steps. We also walked around to the lookout on the other side of the mountain and even saw some monkeys. The path through the forest was nice and crosses a suspension bridge. If you have the time you can make a half day or more out of it by exploring. Overall we were there for about 4-5 hours and enjoyed it.

I love visiting Japanese castles and this is probably one of the most difficult one I have ever visited, especially for tourists. There is ¥600 per journey taxi service provided by yhe Bichu-Takahashi Station tourist center, which only accept phone-in booking at least one day before your trip. You can either ask for help from your hotel, or directly visit the tourist center to book the taxi.
Still takes about 20 minutes walk up hill from the taxi station, and it is not easy at all. But the castle is so beautiful and well kept. Worth the hard work.

Great hiking location! It is an advance level hiking destination for me. I was almost give up to reach the castle, as soon as I saw the roof top! The mountain slope is very steep !!

It's going to be one of those places that everyone will discover shortly. Older un gentrified town at the moment but it's diffinately on the up. Bit of a mission to get to the castle. I took a cab y1800 so wasn't over expensive, 700 metre walk up hill to the castle but well worth it. I walked the return trip to town, downhill made it a bit easier. Lovely bit of rural country side.
Check out the library in town , very well done.

The path to the castle is tiring but it was definitely worth it! It is very beautiful and I love the cat who welcomed us.

A very small castle. Not much tourists here, and you have to take the shuttle bus to the castle from the car park in weekends and specified dates.

Beautiful, small castle with gorgeous views overlooking the city. Definitely on the list to visit if you're interested in original castles, as there are not many left. Also, probably due to the remote location, it's not very crowded and the hike up is steep. There are buses running that you can take. Cheap 300¥ admission.

solid 20 mins+ climb to Castle. the steps of trail are pretty steep.

One of the smallest but the highest located castle in japan. Originally preserved from the 17th century.
Accessible by bus but taxi is well worth the price but even then there's quite a hike up steep stairs until you reach the keep. View from the top is breath taking and the castle is very pretty. Be sure to say hi to Sanjurosan, the cat guardian!

Small, but adorable castle at the top of a mountain. You can take a bus about 4/5 of the way to the top, but it's a hike from there. Beware the steep steps within the castle.

The last one of the original mountain castle. Stunning walk to the mountain top. Some monkeys can be encountered.

Well worth the reasonably long and steep climb up the hill.

One for my favorite castle in Japan ,

Beautiful castle in the clouds. Visit early in the morning for best chance of cloud cover. The clouds clear up by 10am and you can slowly see the view from above the clouds. For access, take local city bus from Bitchu-Takahashi station to Sports Park stop (about 170¥). A short uphill walk to the shuttle bus station, ¥400 for a round trip shuttle bus to the top of the mountain which runs every 15 minutes. 30 minute moderate hike on a paved path up to the castle grounds, there is a toilet and water fountain as you enter the castle grounds.

The castle itself is small, but the location is very impressive. Awesome view from the castle walls.
If you don't take a taxi, hiking from the base of the mountain takes about an hour. The hike is steep, but easily worth it for the view along the way.

Compared to other castles (e.g. Okayama, which is nearby) this is smaller and less impressive as a building structure, but it was a much more fun day out than visiting others. It's an enjoyable hike from the bus stop off, with beautiful views. Much more serene than most tourist attractions. One wonders how on earth they managed to get all the materials for the castle transported up the mountains back in the day...

This is a castle at the top of the mountain.
Next time I want to go to the time of autumn leaves.
You can use the shuttle bus from the parking lot to the upstart of the castle.
From the climb to the castle, there is a mountain road and a paved road.
Normally, the mountain road is the upward path, the paved road is the downward path
If you miss the final shuttle bus, you will walk down the nocturnal light path to the parking lot.

It's a long climb up; we walked. Probably 1.5 hrs return and around 9000 steps. This is one of the few original castles in Japan. It is the highest above sea level in the country. Of course it is a monument to times past.