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Reggaeman / CC BY-SA 3.0 / GFDL
Bitchu Matsuyama Castle
備中松山城Okayama · Chugoku
Japan's highest-elevation original castle at 430m and one of only 12 surviving original tenshu keeps in the country, perched on Mount Gagyū above the town of Takahashi and reached by a steep uphill approach. On autumn and winter mornings the valley below fills with fog and the keep appears to float above it — the 'castle in the clouds' view the castle is known for — but the climb and the keep itself are there in any season.
- Crowd level
- Moderate
- Rating
- 4.4· 3,407 reviews
- Opening hours
- Daily 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM
- Admission
- Adults ¥500, elementary/jr-high ¥200, group discounts available.
- Nearest station
- Bitchu-Takahashi Station (JR Hakubi Line / Ibara Railway)
- Website
- bitchumatsuyamacastle.jp
Usual hours — confirm with the official site for holidays + seasonal closures.
Today
9:00–16:30Admission
- Adults ¥500, elementary/jr-high ¥200, group discounts available.
Stored weekly hours
Daily 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM
How to get there
Taxi ~15 min to Fuigo-tōge parking lot, then ~20 min uphill walk to the castle (private car access restricted on peak weekends, seasonal shuttle bus runs instead).
Tags
castlehikingviewpoint
Location
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