Sep 4, 2013 - 1 min read

Matsuyama Castle in Photos

One of Ehime's main tourist attractions

By Virginia Gonzalez

Community writer

The castle is located right in the city center. Walking up there through a hiking trail is also possible.

There's a café outside the castle where visitors can enjoy a drink or some ice cream. Cold water is included.

The chairlift seems to be more fun than the ropeway. However, it's not a good option during summer, winter or rainy seasons.

The top of the mountain offers an outstanding view of Matsuyama.

However, on foggy days, the sea is not visible.

The ropeway is faster and comfortable; but you won't have to wait for a chairlift.

The castle is all wooden and, the stairs, steep. Watch your step!

The whole area is equipped with coin-operated observation binoculars, but they didn't seem to be very popular.

Enemies who tried to climb these walls used to have stones thrown at their heads through a whole in the floor of the castle.

In addition to the ticket, they will give you a free postcard with a picture of the castle.

Matsuyama Castle, built in 1602 by a Samurai overlord in Matsuyama (Ehime), dominates the city from the top of the Katsuyama Hill. The prevailing tower is a reconstruction made in 1820 after the original one was struck by lightning. The observatory on top of it offers a bird eye view of the town and the Seto Inland Sea. Accessing the castle is easy thanks to the ropeway and chair lift that take you up in around 2 and 5 minutes respectively. The castle is open from 8am to 5pm every day and the admission is 520 yen. Combined tickets are also available for both attractions.

More info

Find out more about Matsuyama Castle.

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By Virginia Gonzalez

Community writer

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Bronwyn O'Neill 7 years ago

Lovely pictures! A short hike up to the castle is also an option, taking only 10-15 minutes. Much of the castle can be seen for free but it's worth paying for admission to the main building to try on the samurai garb and take advantage of the fantastic photo opportunities!

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