Castle in west Japan with 400-year history opened for overnight stays
A western Japan city has begun offering overnight stays at Fukuyama Castle, a site dating back 400 years, as regional economies seek ways to attract wealthy visitors amid the country's tourism boom, Kyodo reports.
The initiative, which received its first guests in October, offers visitors the chance to be lord of the castle for a day. Plans start from 1.32 million yen ($8,500) a night for two people and include a stay at in a rebuilt moon-viewing turret, a night lounge experience in the castle keep, use of a bathhouse and luxurious meals.
As part of the experience, visitors receive an exclusive tour of the Fushimi Yagura turret, a nationally designated important cultural property. Usually closed to the public, this wooden structure is one of the oldest turrets among Japanese castles.in
The turret, believed to have been relocated from the ill-fated Fushimi Castle in Kyoto when Fukuyama Castle was built in 1622, survived a wartime bombing of Fukuyama Hiroshima Prefecture in August 1945, while the keep and some other structures burned down and were rebuilt in 1966.
A city government official expressed hope that the initiative will offer visitors a chance to appreciate the site's history, as well as the importance of preservation.
The site where the castle stands was historically known as "Komoriyama," or bat mountain, and the city's bat-themed logo has drawn comparisons with the symbol from the Batman comic series. In 2022, Fukuyama announced a world-first friendship city agreement with Gotham City, the fictional setting of the series.
The castle joins a rising number of plans aimed at affluent travelers, including those at Marugame Castle in Kagawa Prefecture and Ozu Castle in Ehime Prefecture, both located in western Japan.
Tourism is booming in Japan, but activity is largely concentrated in destinations like Tokyo and Kyoto, prompting the government and businesses to find ways to draw visitors to less-traveled areas.
As written before, overnight stays at accommodation facilities in Japan by Japanese and foreign travelers rose 5.5 percent in 2024 from the previous year to a record 651.49 million, preliminary government data showed Friday.
