Inquiry
rooms

Experiences

Staycation (Ryokan)

•

Marugame Castle Experience: A 400-Year-Old Castle, Yours for a Night)

PRIVATE

TOUR TYPE

CUSTOM

OPTIONS

1

DESTINATION(S)

rooms

Experiences

Staycation (Ryokan)

•

Marugame Castle Experience: A 400-Year-Old Castle, Yours for a Night)

PRIVATE

TOUR TYPE

CUSTOM

OPTIONS

1

DESTINATIONS

rooms

Experiences

Staycation (Ryokan)

•

Marugame Castle Experience: A 400-Year-Old Castle, Yours for a Night)

PRIVATE

TOUR TYPE

CUSTOM

OPTIONS

1

DESTINATIONS

Area

Shikoku

Schedule

Flexible

Overwiew

What You’ll Discover

Overwiew

What You’ll Discover

Marugame Castle stands on a wooded hill called Kameyama, above the town of Marugame in Kagawa, on Shikoku. It has been there for over four hundred years. Two things make it unusual. The wooden keep is original, one of only twelve left in Japan and the oldest on Shikoku. And the stone walls holding it up are the tallest of any castle in the country. The Kyogoku family held Marugame for two centuries. For one night the castle, the gate and the ramparts are closed to everyone but you. You come in through the Taikomon, the drum gate built in 1670. A drum has marked the hours there since the Edo period, and when it sounds for your arrival the Marugame Taiko group starts up. Dinner is at Enjyukaku Bekkan, looking down over the old castle town, built from dishes in the Kyogoku household records and whatever the Seto Inland Sea has that week. Afterwards the keep itself opens as a private bar. You sleep at Enjyukaku Bekkan as well. It is a single-storey wooden house put up in 1933 using material from the Kyogoku family's Tokyo residence, and the ceilings, transoms and metalwork all came with it. Breakfast is at a teahouse inside Nakazu Bansho-en, a daimyo garden ten minutes away.
Marugame Castle stands on a wooded hill called Kameyama, above the town of Marugame in Kagawa, on Shikoku. It has been there for over four hundred years. Two things make it unusual. The wooden keep is original, one of only twelve left in Japan and the oldest on Shikoku. And the stone walls holding it up are the tallest of any castle in the country. The Kyogoku family held Marugame for two centuries. For one night the castle, the gate and the ramparts are closed to everyone but you. You come in through the Taikomon, the drum gate built in 1670. A drum has marked the hours there since the Edo period, and when it sounds for your arrival the Marugame Taiko group starts up. Dinner is at Enjyukaku Bekkan, looking down over the old castle town, built from dishes in the Kyogoku household records and whatever the Seto Inland Sea has that week. Afterwards the keep itself opens as a private bar. You sleep at Enjyukaku Bekkan as well. It is a single-storey wooden house put up in 1933 using material from the Kyogoku family's Tokyo residence, and the ceilings, transoms and metalwork all came with it. Breakfast is at a teahouse inside Nakazu Bansho-en, a daimyo garden ten minutes away.

Reign over Marugame Castle — the oldest wooden keep in Shikoku and one of just twelve original keeps left in Japan — entirely to yourself.

Enter through the 1670 Taikomon drum gate to a thundering welcome by Marugame Taiko drummers.

Marvel at the tallest stone walls in Japan, the pinnacle of the castle-builder's art, crowned by the keep.

Sip an evening nightcap inside the wooden keep, rented as your private lounge above the Seto Inland Sea.

Sleep in Enjyukaku Bekkan, a villa built from the Kyogoku lords' own Tokyo residence.

Wake to breakfast at a cultural-property teahouse within the Nakazu Bansho-en daimyo garden.

Highlights

Explore the Highlights of Your Journey

Highlights

Explore the Highlights of Your Journey

  • The Oldest Keep in Shikoku — The oldest surviving wooden keep in Shikoku crowns the tallest stone walls in Japan, a National Important Cultural Property four centuries old.

  • A Welcome of Drums — Guests enter through the 1670 Taikomon gate, where a drum announces their arrival and Marugame Taiko drummers perform a welcome.

  • Enjyukaku Bekkan — Guests stay in Enjyukaku Bekkan, a 1933 wooden villa built from parts of the Kyogoku clan's Tokyo residence, its Edo-era details intact.

  • A Night Lounge in the Keep — The wooden keep is rented privately as a night lounge, where evening drinks come with a panorama of the Seto Inland Sea and Sanuki Plain.

  • A Kyogoku Table — Dinner draws on the Kyogoku family's culinary heritage and the seasonal bounty of the Seto Inland Sea, crafted by skilled chefs.

  • Breakfast in a Daimyo Garden — Breakfast is served at a cultural-property teahouse within Nakazu Bansho-en, a celebrated daimyo garden.

Illustrated map of Japan with all prefectures and regional boundaries

Information

Where This Journey Takes You

Information

Where This Journey Takes You

This itinerary connects some of Japan’s most distinctive regions, combining iconic highlights with lesser-known destinations to create a seamless travel experience from start to finish.

This itinerary connects some of Japan’s most distinctive regions, combining iconic highlights with lesser-known destinations to create a seamless travel experience from start to finish.

Illustrated map of Japan with all prefectures and regional boundaries

Shikoku

Japan's island of pilgrims and gorges — Shikoku is defined by the ancient 88-temple circuit walked by white-robed henro pilgrims, mist-filled Iya Valley river canyons, the spectacular whirlpools of Naruto, and Dogo Onsen, one of Japan's oldest hot spring bathhouses. It remains one of the country's least-touristed regions, rewarding those who seek a quieter, more contemplative Japan.

Itinerary

Explore Every Moment Along the Way

Itinerary

Explore Every Moment Along the Way

No headings found in "article-content"
Arrive — A Welcome of Drums
Enter through the Taikomon, the 1670 drum gate. A drum strikes to announce your arrival, and the Marugame Taiko drummers thunder into a welcome performance.
Enter through the Taikomon, the 1670 drum gate. A drum strikes to announce your arrival, and the Marugame Taiko drummers thunder into a welcome performance.
Arrive — A Welcome of Drums
Enter through the Taikomon, the 1670 drum gate. A drum strikes to announce your arrival, and the Marugame Taiko drummers thunder into a welcome performance.
Enter through the Taikomon, the 1670 drum gate. A drum strikes to announce your arrival, and the Marugame Taiko drummers thunder into a welcome performance.
Arrive — A Welcome of Drums
Enter through the Taikomon, the 1670 drum gate. A drum strikes to announce your arrival, and the Marugame Taiko drummers thunder into a welcome performance.
Enter through the Taikomon, the 1670 drum gate. A drum strikes to announce your arrival, and the Marugame Taiko drummers thunder into a welcome performance.
Reign — The Castle Is Yours
Roam the ramparts as a feudal lord — the oldest wooden keep in Shikoku, the main gate, and the highest stone walls in Japan, all exclusively yours.
Roam the ramparts as a feudal lord — the oldest wooden keep in Shikoku, the main gate, and the highest stone walls in Japan, all exclusively yours.
Reign — The Castle Is Yours
Roam the ramparts as a feudal lord — the oldest wooden keep in Shikoku, the main gate, and the highest stone walls in Japan, all exclusively yours.
Roam the ramparts as a feudal lord — the oldest wooden keep in Shikoku, the main gate, and the highest stone walls in Japan, all exclusively yours.
Reign — The Castle Is Yours
Roam the ramparts as a feudal lord — the oldest wooden keep in Shikoku, the main gate, and the highest stone walls in Japan, all exclusively yours.
Roam the ramparts as a feudal lord — the oldest wooden keep in Shikoku, the main gate, and the highest stone walls in Japan, all exclusively yours.
Dine — A Lord's Table
Sit down to dinner at Enjyukaku Bekkan, overlooking the castle town — dishes rooted in the Kyogoku family's heritage and the riches of the Seto Inland Sea.
Sit down to dinner at Enjyukaku Bekkan, overlooking the castle town — dishes rooted in the Kyogoku family's heritage and the riches of the Seto Inland Sea.
Dine — A Lord's Table
Sit down to dinner at Enjyukaku Bekkan, overlooking the castle town — dishes rooted in the Kyogoku family's heritage and the riches of the Seto Inland Sea.
Sit down to dinner at Enjyukaku Bekkan, overlooking the castle town — dishes rooted in the Kyogoku family's heritage and the riches of the Seto Inland Sea.
Dine — A Lord's Table
Sit down to dinner at Enjyukaku Bekkan, overlooking the castle town — dishes rooted in the Kyogoku family's heritage and the riches of the Seto Inland Sea.
Sit down to dinner at Enjyukaku Bekkan, overlooking the castle town — dishes rooted in the Kyogoku family's heritage and the riches of the Seto Inland Sea.
Unwind — A Nightcap in the Keep
Climb into the wooden keep, rented as your private night lounge, and take a quiet evening drink above 400 years of history, the Seto Inland Sea glittering below.
Climb into the wooden keep, rented as your private night lounge, and take a quiet evening drink above 400 years of history, the Seto Inland Sea glittering below.
Unwind — A Nightcap in the Keep
Climb into the wooden keep, rented as your private night lounge, and take a quiet evening drink above 400 years of history, the Seto Inland Sea glittering below.
Climb into the wooden keep, rented as your private night lounge, and take a quiet evening drink above 400 years of history, the Seto Inland Sea glittering below.
Unwind — A Nightcap in the Keep
Climb into the wooden keep, rented as your private night lounge, and take a quiet evening drink above 400 years of history, the Seto Inland Sea glittering below.
Climb into the wooden keep, rented as your private night lounge, and take a quiet evening drink above 400 years of history, the Seto Inland Sea glittering below.
Rest — A Night in Enjyukaku Bekkan
Retire to your private villa, where Edo-era ceilings and transoms and a garden opening onto the Sanuki Plain wrap the night in timeless calm.
Retire to your private villa, where Edo-era ceilings and transoms and a garden opening onto the Sanuki Plain wrap the night in timeless calm.
Rest — A Night in Enjyukaku Bekkan
Retire to your private villa, where Edo-era ceilings and transoms and a garden opening onto the Sanuki Plain wrap the night in timeless calm.
Retire to your private villa, where Edo-era ceilings and transoms and a garden opening onto the Sanuki Plain wrap the night in timeless calm.
Rest — A Night in Enjyukaku Bekkan
Retire to your private villa, where Edo-era ceilings and transoms and a garden opening onto the Sanuki Plain wrap the night in timeless calm.
Retire to your private villa, where Edo-era ceilings and transoms and a garden opening onto the Sanuki Plain wrap the night in timeless calm.
Wake — Breakfast in a Garden
Take breakfast at a cultural-property teahouse within Nakazu Bansho-en, a celebrated daimyo garden.
Take breakfast at a cultural-property teahouse within Nakazu Bansho-en, a celebrated daimyo garden.
Wake — Breakfast in a Garden
Take breakfast at a cultural-property teahouse within Nakazu Bansho-en, a celebrated daimyo garden.
Take breakfast at a cultural-property teahouse within Nakazu Bansho-en, a celebrated daimyo garden.
Wake — Breakfast in a Garden
Take breakfast at a cultural-property teahouse within Nakazu Bansho-en, a celebrated daimyo garden.
Take breakfast at a cultural-property teahouse within Nakazu Bansho-en, a celebrated daimyo garden.
Experience — Marugame's Living Traditions
If you wish, shape a Marugame bamboo fan beside a master craftsman, or take sencha tea at Kanchoro, the oldest sencha tea room in Japan, normally closed to the public.
If you wish, shape a Marugame bamboo fan beside a master craftsman, or take sencha tea at Kanchoro, the oldest sencha tea room in Japan, normally closed to the public.
Experience — Marugame's Living Traditions
If you wish, shape a Marugame bamboo fan beside a master craftsman, or take sencha tea at Kanchoro, the oldest sencha tea room in Japan, normally closed to the public.
If you wish, shape a Marugame bamboo fan beside a master craftsman, or take sencha tea at Kanchoro, the oldest sencha tea room in Japan, normally closed to the public.
Experience — Marugame's Living Traditions
If you wish, shape a Marugame bamboo fan beside a master craftsman, or take sencha tea at Kanchoro, the oldest sencha tea room in Japan, normally closed to the public.
If you wish, shape a Marugame bamboo fan beside a master craftsman, or take sencha tea at Kanchoro, the oldest sencha tea room in Japan, normally closed to the public.

Policies

Important Travel Information

Policies

Important Travel Information

Talk to Our Team

Every journey is different. Our Japan Travel Specialists are here to answer your questions, refine every detail, and help you choose the itinerary that best matches your interests, travel style, and pace.

Talk to Us

Design My Trip

Inclusions

- Accommodation (1 night, private use of Enjyukaku Bekkan on the Marugame Castle site) - Meal (Breakfast x 1 | Dinner x 1) - Castle Entry welcome (Taikomon drum announcement and Marugame Taiko performance) and private evening use of the castle keep as a lounge - Concierge - Inbound Travel Insurance

Exclusions

Cancellation

Talk to Our Team

Every journey is different. Our Japan Travel Specialists are here to answer your questions, refine every detail, and help you choose the itinerary that best matches your interests, travel style, and pace.

Talk to Us

Design My Trip

Talk to Our Team

Every journey is different. Our Japan Travel Specialists are here to answer your questions, refine every detail, and help you choose the itinerary that best matches your interests, travel style, and pace.

Talk to Us

Design My Trip