Top Things to do in Shikoku
Top Hotels in Shikoku
The 10 Best Castles in Shikoku, Shikoku
Discover the best top things to do in Shikoku, Japan including Matsuyama Castle, Takamatsu Castle Hiunkaku Garden, Takamatsu Castle, Kochi Castle, Imabari Castle, Uwajima Castle, Marugame Castle, Okojo Castle, Ozu Castle, Kameyama Park (Marugame Castle).
Restaurants in Shikoku
1. Matsuyama Castle
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,011 reviews
Reviewed By BendigoVic - Victoria, Australia
We throughly enjoyed our time spent at Matsuyama Castle, its a long climb but certainly well worth it when you get there and the views are spectacular. The castle remains in its original state which is astonishing given it was built in the 1600s, Just getting there on the chair lift or the cable car is an adventure in itself if you have young children. Its a must visit if you are in the area.
2. Takamatsu Castle Hiunkaku Garden
3. Takamatsu Castle
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 309 reviews
Reviewed By LarryBeck42
This is the same place as Takamatsu Park. It is a old fort with a moat. It also has a pretty garden in the middle of Takamatsu city. You can make it a quick walk through or take your time. I took 2 hours. They also have a small museum.
4. Kochi Castle
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 1,164 reviews
Constructed in the 1600s, this castle was originally named Otakasaka after the hill on which it resides. Built to defend the city below, the structure was partially damaged by a fire in the early 1700s but never faced a formal attack.
Reviewed By E608NLgregm - Toronto, Canada
The review “Day Trip to Kochi/Kochi Castle from Cruise Port in Kochi” posted by donavan94563 on Trip Advisor on July 31, 2016 was excellent. It layout a great itinerary with lots of background information for a “Do It Yourself” ¾ day shore excursion while your cruise ship is docked in Kochi City. We followed Donavan’s suggestions when we went there during our August 2018 cruise on the Diamond Princess and had a wonderful time. I just want to update his review with some of our own experience and to include a map of the area to help you with your orientation. First, there was no free shuttle from the port to the city. Diamond Princess charged U$10 per person for the shuttle. Our Princess shuttle drop-off was in Dentetsutaminarubiru Mae Station which is almost directly across from the Kochi Yosakoi Information Exchange Cente. From there, it was about a 20-minute walk to the Kochi Castle. After we got off the shuttle, we crossed the street to visit Harimaya Bridge. It is not a big bridge, but has a couple of love stories associated with it. The Harimaya Bridge appears in “Yosakoi-bushi,” a traditional folk song in Kochi Prefecture. The lyrics partly read: “I saw a monk buy a hairpin near the Harimaya Bridge in Kochi of Tosa…” It was a love story between Junshin, a priest of the Chikurin-ji temple on Godaisan (Mt. Godai) in the eastern part of Kochi City, and Ouma, daughter of a tinker, set in an area around the Harimaya Bridge. The second story was a 2009 film “The Harimaya Bridge” made by American filmmaker Aeron Woolfolk. It was a story about an American man who traveled to rural Japan after his estranged son died there in a traffic accident. While there, he discovered some secrets his son left behind. It was a film about racism, forbidden love and forgiveness. Just around the corner of the Harimaya Bridge was the entrance to the covered Obiyamachi Ichibangai Shopping Street帯屋町 and the Hirome Ichica market ひろめ市場. The shopping street is wide, clean and pleasant with many stores on both sides. One of the stores that we enjoyed shopping in Japan was the Daiso 1,000 yen store. Unlike Canadian and US Dollar Stores, the merchandise in Daiso are of quite good quality. Unless otherwise marked, all items are 1,000 yens. I especially like its cosmetic bags which I use to store my various electrical and camera stuff (chargers, adapters, batteries, flash memory sticks, memory cards, etc.) and packing cubes and shore bags (in the top floor) . These cubes or bags are great for packing, organizing and storing clothes in your suitcase while you travel. The zipper quality is not the greatest; but at 1,000 yen for a small cube and 1,800 yen for a medium one, they were great bargains. Hirome Market was an interesting food court with more than 60 stalls selling a wide variety of local food, including seafood and wagyu beef. One thing not to be missed is the Katsuo tataki,明神丸, or skip jack cod loin seared with straw fire. The market gets busy during lunch. We had lunch there, but finding an empty table was quite a challenge. Just across the street on the other exit of Hirome Market is the Kochi Castle. Before crossing the street, we found a number of hardware stores selling nail clippers, kitchen shears and knives. Japan is renowned for its high quality steel. The nail clippers were our prized souvenirs. Kochi sits on the broad alluvial plain facing Urado Bay. This city in Shikoku takes its name from the great feudal castle that sits at its very heart. Completed in 1611, Kochi Castle was the seat of Yamauchi Kazutoyo 山内一豊, a noted warrior who supported Tokugawa Ieyasu 德川家康 in his successful quest to become Shogun. Tosa Province and Kochi Castle were Yamauchi's reward for faithful service. There is an historical irony here: 250 years later, a Kochi native son - a former low-ranked samurai and now ronin named Sakamoto Ryoma坂本 龍馬 - played a pivotal role in bringing the Tokugawa Shogunate to an end and restoring the Emperor of Japan to political prominence. The prize once awarded for faithful service became a hotbed of support for the Meiji Restoration. Admission to Kochi Castle was free, unless you want to climb the Castle Tower (420 yen). There were a couple of beautiful statues – one of Yamauchi Kazutoyo on his famed warhorse, and another one of the war horse and his wife Chiyo 千代. Chiyo has long been considered as the ideal samurai wife. According to legend, she made her kimono out of a quilted patchwork of bits of old cloth and save pennies to buy her husband, Yamauchi, a magnificent horse on which he rode to many victories. Their love story was quite unusual among samurais. Yamauchi never took another wife or concubine even though Chiyo only gave him a daughter. Near Chiyo’s statue is a tablet by Yamauchi commemorating her death. We visited the Kochi Yosakoi Information Exchange Center as our last stop before returning to ship. Yosakoi Festival in Kochi is one of Japan’s 10 largest festivals held each year from August 9 to 12 (and we just missed it). There was a “Yosakoi Theater” which ran films on the 60-year history of the Yosakoi Festival. In the “Yosakoi Taiken (experience) Corner,” visitors can experience the “Seicho Yosakoi Naruko Odori” dance while holding traditional “naruko” bird clappers, or put on festival costumes and take commemorative pictures. Free admission and nice clean toilets in the center.
5. Imabari Castle
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 320 reviews
Reviewed By BZimm08 - Iwakuni, Japan
The Imabari Castle is so neat. I came here at dusk and waited around until night to see the castle lit up, it was well worth seeing. The moat that surrounds the castle is beautiful, you can see the reflection beautifully. The castle grounds are nice to, there are temples on the grounds, statues, and a museum. I did not have a chance to visit the inside of the main tower, but I hope to come back. The Imabari Castle is one of my favorites in Japan and definitely worth visiting.
6. Uwajima Castle
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 249 reviews
Reviewed By Rick28200 - San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain
Though it small, it is one of the original castles of Japan. The view from there could not be better. It is worth the climbing. I parked at the entrance and it was pretty affordable (200¥)
7. Marugame Castle
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 456 reviews
Reviewed By BZimm08 - Iwakuni, Japan
One of my goals while living in Japan is to see all the original castles, so this last weekend I visited Marugame Castle. This one is interesting as it is built on top of a steep hill, most others I've been to so far have been on flat ground. Because of this it reminded me a bit of castles in Europe. The walk to the actual castle is pretty steep, but you get gorgeous 360 views from the top. I recommend paying the 200 Yen to visit the inside. The inside is pretty small but it is interesting to see what it looks like plus entrances here are so cheap. The whole grounds of the castle to include the park and moat are just beautiful.
