Fukuyama Castle

Fukuyama Castle was built by Mizuno Katsunari, a cousin of Tokugawa Ieyasu. It has been selected as one of Japan’s Top 100 Castles, and the castle ruins are preserved as a National Historic Site. In 2022, it marked the 400th anniversary of its construction.
The keep originally had five stories above ground, six levels in total, plus one basement level—something said to have been forbidden even to the Tokugawa Gosanke branch families. However, most of it was destroyed by wartime air raids. It was reconstructed in 1966 and is now open as the "Fukuyama Castle Museum," where relics and materials of successive lords are exhibited and visitors can also learn about the history and culture of the Bingo region. (Note: it is closed for seismic retrofitting and renovation until around summer 2022.) It is also known as a cherry-blossom viewing spot, with about 300 cherry trees that can be enjoyed in spring. Fukuyama Castle is extremely convenient to access: it is just a 5-minute walk from the north exit of Fukuyama Station, a Shinkansen stop. You can even see it from the main-line platforms at close range. If arriving by car, you can use the parking lots of the Fukuyama Museum of Art and the Fukuyama Literature Museum.