Koriyama Castle
Koriyama Castle
3.9
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
3.9
104 reviews
Excellent
21
Very good
54
Average
27
Poor
1
Terrible
1
LloydCMC
Hong Kong, China380 contributions
Jun 2016 • Solo
It takes a 10~15 minutes walk from the Kintetsu Station(not JR). On the way you will see a few ruins of the old castle gates. I visited the Yamatokoriyama castle on a rainy day and I am the only visitor. The castle is turned into a park and a school, only 2 yagura and a gate is rebuilt, the foundation of the main keep is reconsolidating, no admission fee needed. After visiting the castle, I may suggest you to visit Kikuya(菊屋老舖) which is a 400 years old Japanese desert shop and also K-coffee which is small coffee corner having a unique and fun Telephone Booth Aquarium!
Written July 4, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tokyotraveller77
Minato, Japan58 contributions
May 2017 • Solo
The area is pretty and there is a great view over the surrounding area. However, relative to the Nara Park temples as well as nearby Toshodaiji and Yakushiji it's not really worth coming. I ran along the river from the Heijo ruins to Koriyama which takes in both Toshodaiji and Yakushiji which was enjoyable with no traffic. There's a cycle route the whole way.
Written May 6, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
John S
32 contributions
Dec 2016 • Couples
Although the castle is under reconstruction it is worth a visit for the historical sense. The grounds are very quiet and you can walk around and just enjoy the peace and tranquility of the area. Take the time to walk back to the town by way of the narrow back streets. Newer houses but with lovely gardens. Be careful of the traffic which sometimes takes by surprise.
Written December 18, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ron S
New York City, NY6,115 contributions
Oct 2013 • Couples
Beautifully restored two yagura (corner turrets) and the gates over original walls. If you go to the left of the entrance around the moat there's a ramp leading to the citadel surrounded by the inner moat and impressive walls covered with vegetation. A short walk takes you to the main keep (tenshu) foundation which is off limits, but if you jump the rope and climb the steps to the top you'll get a very nice view of the town. If you walk around the inner moat you'll find the spot where the original bridge over the inner moat stood with a sign explaining the upcoming restoration of the bridge and the gate. The opening in the wall across marks the location of the gate. From there you can get to the library building where at the time they had a small exhibition on the founder of the castle, Tsutsui Junkei.
Written October 23, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
WDTVancouver_Canada
Vancouver, Canada89 contributions
Nov 2011
Koriyama castle was one of the more important castles in the early Edo period, and its grounds are deceptively large. The ruins of the original keep in the middle of the castle grounds were closed to the public the last time I was there, but this is still a nice castle to visit. Its location on the hill sloping away from Koriyama station allows the visitor a great view looking back towards Nara and Tenri. The best time to visit is probably early April when the myriad cherry trees on the castle grounds are in full bloom. If you are coming from Nara city, you will need to take the Kintetsu line and change trains at Saidaiji.
Written October 3, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Patrick T
Hong Kong, China2,680 contributions
Apr 2018 • Family
We visited the castle in the evening to enjoy the night view of cherry blossoms (sakura) with colourful lights. The scenery was pretty and peaceful. There were numerous food stalls selling tasty Japanese snacks along the path to the castle.
Written August 2, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hethler
Philippines365 contributions
Apr 2017 • Friends
The first half of the day, we spent it in Osaka for a local activity. After our activity I had to decide if I'll spend the rest of the day in Osaka (I was staying in Osaka thru my whole trip btw). Immediately, I decided to make a visit at Nara which is pretty much near but I was torn what castle or temple to visit. I checked my itinerary for options and while this is not the top choice attraction for Nara, I went with the 'underdog' and made a trip at Koriyama Castle Ruins with my friend. And well, it didn't disappoint. It is about 1.5km away from JR Station but you'll have a good time walking the neighborhood. And just when you're just few meters away from the castle, ahhh, the scenic view of the river by the bridge and the sakura trees fully blossomed --- it's priceless. The place might be popular for the castle but come in time for the Cherry Blossoms and you'll love it even more! Beautiful!
Written April 18, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ART196
244 contributions
Mar 2016 • Solo
Yamato-Kōriyamajō is probably Nara City’s closest castle so you can go if you visit Nara. There is a reconstructed gate and a yagura here which are perched between and on top of beautiful stone walls and encircled by a complicated system of winding, spiralling moats, which range from dry, to muddy, to very deep water. I came on a festival day and the whole site was busy with vendors selling food and running games, children off school eating said food and playing said games, and couples on kimono dates viewing the cherry blossoms. The blossoms! Although yet to utterly explode into blooming effulgence, Sakura had started to appear, including a shidarezukura which droops over the moat and makes the yagura very photogenic. Little paths wind around the jagged inner moats surrounding the honmaru (main bailey), hemmed in by lanterns and bushes. The castle would’ve been very cosy if it didn’t also function as a death trap for invaders! The tenshukakudai remains, looking in its proportions like some tremendous ziggurat, and is yet formidable. From this month it is open to the public to ascend.
The outer baileys of the castle are spread throughout town and now you can find pockets of them forming little parks surrounded by traditional walls. One such pretty park I’ve also included in the album.
History:
By Eric Obershaw of Jcastle.com:
“After Tsutsui Junkei defeated his long time enemy Matsunaga Hisahide in 1580 he moved to Koriyama strengthening the fortifications that were there and building Koriyama Castle. In 1585 Hideyoshi's brother Hidenaga moved into Koriyama Castle and conducted many improvements making it into a large scale modern castle. He also confiscated many stones from nearby temple gardens and even religious statues for use in the walls. Mashita Nagamori moved into the castle in 1595 but abandoned it when he lost at the Battle of Sekigahara. The castle fell into disrepair for a time until Ieyasu stationed Mizuno Katsushige here in 1615 and commissioned him to reconstruct the castle. Yanagisawa Yoshisato became lord of the castle in 1724. The Yanagisawa continued to rule until the Meiji Restoration when the castle was decommissioned.”
The outer baileys of the castle are spread throughout town and now you can find pockets of them forming little parks surrounded by traditional walls. One such pretty park I’ve also included in the album.
History:
By Eric Obershaw of Jcastle.com:
“After Tsutsui Junkei defeated his long time enemy Matsunaga Hisahide in 1580 he moved to Koriyama strengthening the fortifications that were there and building Koriyama Castle. In 1585 Hideyoshi's brother Hidenaga moved into Koriyama Castle and conducted many improvements making it into a large scale modern castle. He also confiscated many stones from nearby temple gardens and even religious statues for use in the walls. Mashita Nagamori moved into the castle in 1595 but abandoned it when he lost at the Battle of Sekigahara. The castle fell into disrepair for a time until Ieyasu stationed Mizuno Katsushige here in 1615 and commissioned him to reconstruct the castle. Yanagisawa Yoshisato became lord of the castle in 1724. The Yanagisawa continued to rule until the Meiji Restoration when the castle was decommissioned.”
Written April 21, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Joyce M
Cheras, Malaysia177 contributions
Apr 2016
Apart from a park and space for picnic plus lots of street foods, you really see only part of the walls of the castle. You don't even see segments of a ruined castle so I would say it's still a good place to visit if you have time to spare but likewise a spot that you can give it a miss if you have limited time.
Written April 17, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KyotoDreamTrips
Kyotanabe, Japan19 contributions
Apr 2012 • Friends
The Kōriyama Castle (郡山城) is one of those “out of the box” adventures. It’s a little out of the way, but well worth of exploring. There is not much of the castle left only the mote and a few corner stones. Inside the castle grounds are several areas where you can sit down in the grass and enjoy some food and drink. If you didn’t bring any food, no worry, there are plenty of food stall on the premises that can help you out. In my opinion, a 5 star rating..
Written March 10, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Is there any luggage storage for a day or coin lockers around Koriyama Castle or Koriyama Station/ Kintetsu-Koriyama Station?
Written February 16, 2017
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