Tokyo area castle - Tateyama Castle

Activity > Other Cities and Areas > Sightseeing > Chiba

I took a "Day Trip" to Tateyama Castle (in Japanese: 館山城) which is a castle near Tokyo.  Tateyama Castle is in Chiba Prefecture which is a prefecture right next to Tokyo (if your looking down on a map, the "peninsula" to the right of Tokyo).  The castle is in Tateyama city which is at the very southern tip of Chiba Prefecture (see a map of Castles near Tokyo here).

There are various ways to get to Tateyama... limousine bus, car and train but I just took the standard train from Tokyo.  I jumped on the "Sobu Express Line" for Chiba, changed at Chiba to the "Uchibo Line" and road it all the way down to Tateyama.  The full trip took about two and a half hours and cost around 2,000 yen (one way). I brought along a little history book and read up on Tateyama Castle and the Satomi Clan (the clan that built the castle) and it was very interesting.

I visited the castle in July, rainy season.  Luckily it was not raining in Tateyama (it was in Tokyo!), BUT! let me tell ya... it was HOT, like walking around in a steam bath.

The bus stop was right next the entrance which was simple to find.  The castle is in a park called "Shiro Yama Kouen" (White Mountain Park) and there are various trails that lead up to the top of the mountain where the castle is.  Even though I took the walk very slow, I was literally dripping with sweat by the time I reached the top.  Its not a very strenuous hike, anybody can do it, but the humidity and heat were so high it felt like walking through water.

I reached the top in about 15 - 20 min. and Tateyama castle is sitting on a nice flat green area.  The castle is NOT the original castle... it is a "Mock Up", i.e. built in 1982 out of concrete to draw tourists. and, unfortunately... its not built in the same style as the original either... :( (the design is actually that of Inuyama Castle).  So... Its basically a non-faithful version made out of concrete, Disneyland style.  There is grass and various modern age shrines and Japanese trees/gardens around the castle that offer great angles for taking pictures with Tateyama Castle in the background.

The entrance fee to the interior of the castle is only 300 yen.  Once again... honestly... there is not much to see inside the castle and it is all modern concrete walls.  However, 300 yen is cheap and by climbing up to the 4th floor you can get a nice view of the surrounding area. When I was there, I was the only person in the castle which offered plenty of photo opportunities.  From the top you get a nice view of Tateyama City and Tokyo Bay.  They "say" that on a very clear day you can even see Tokyo and Mt. Fuji across the bay.

I spent a good hour and a half or two hours meandering about the park and castle... which, was enough.  By the time I made it back to the bottom I was ready for a Soft Cream Ice Cream but after stepping into the little tourist shop I changed my mind and went for a couple Sweet Potato covered Dango's... if any of you know me, you'll know I love Dango's :) Even wrote a song about it!  The bus showed up on time, quickly back to the station then a 15min. wait for the train and back off to Tokyo.

If you can put aside reality and just take it in for what it is, I guess Tateyama Castle is worth a quick stop if you have other fun plans in Tateyama but I would definitely not recommend making a special trip all the way down to Tateyama to see just the castle.  It is "within reach" of Tokyo as a day trip so for those who are staying in Tokyo and want to visit a Tokyo area castle... you "may" consider visiting but as mentioned previously, I wouldn't make it a "main" destination.