Odawara Castle
Odawara Castle
4
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Odawara Castle is a symbol of Odwara City. It was as an impregnable castle owned by the Hojo clan, the samurai family who governed Kanto region for about a century from the end of 15th century. Since then, the castle became a reserve for Hakone and Tokaido route and functioned as a cornerstone of defense in the region. The castle has renewed in 2016 after the completion of a seismic retrofit and renewal of the exhibition inside.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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4.0
1,069 reviews
Excellent
244
Very good
577
Average
233
Poor
12
Terrible
3
Piotr S
Krakow, Poland236 contributions
Mar 2020
I was there in the evening, unfortunately, the castle was closed at that time. Anyway, even from outside castle looks great. It is built on the hill, about 500 meters from the Odawara station, so it is easily accessible from shinkansen. It is enough to left the station using east exit, turn right and look searching for the Castle :-). Building itself makes a huge impression. It perfectly composes with the surrounding trees. A few years ago I was also inside and I promise - it is worth entering.
Written 17 March 2020
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.
Anna V
Sydney, Australia83 contributions
Jan 2023 • Family
Our 8 year-old child is a train enthusiasts so we took the Shinkansen from Tokyo and opted for Odawara as it’s not too far from Tokyo & we thought it would be interesting to explore the castle built originally in the 14th century.. Although the weather was a little bit dreary and cool - it was still great to walk through a castle and museums and learn of the history i suggest you allow 1.5-2hrs there & recommend grabbing a bite to eat at the lovely looking restaurants near the train station. It’s only 33 minutes from Tokyo.
Written 16 January 2023
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.
Azette
Sunshine Coast, Australia237 contributions
Jun 2023 • Solo
Gardens surrounding this castle are wonderful & the walk from the main gate gives you a real sense of the fortress it once was. The interior of the castle has been renovated, rather than restored & houses many historical pieces. Once inside you don’t feel like you’re in a castle because of this renovation, could be any museum - but the video clips & artifacts are very well presented.
Written 7 July 2023
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.
Michael
Irvine, CA48 contributions
Jul 2023
This Japanese castle is not as famous as others around Japan, however the layout/facilities and the feeling while visiting would for sure provide a different kind of experience.
The area is very quiet since not many tourists around, which provide a very calm and peaceful feeling while visiting the castle. There are Ninja and Samurai museums on site that gives both adults and kids a great background about the history, plus some collections are well preserved that also gives a close touch while visiting the facilities.
The area is very quiet since not many tourists around, which provide a very calm and peaceful feeling while visiting the castle. There are Ninja and Samurai museums on site that gives both adults and kids a great background about the history, plus some collections are well preserved that also gives a close touch while visiting the facilities.
Written 11 August 2023
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.
EuroEri
Tokyo Prefecture, Japan352 contributions
Jul 2020 • Family
A easy and fun place to tour around. We drove and had a easy and close parking lot to the castle. Inside the castle walls there is plenty of restrooms, a restaurant, vending machines and things to do. Castle was nicely made into a tour with artifacts. The Samurai museum was small but neat too. The theater portion was a amazing show. Ninja area currently closed (guessing due to covid?!)
Written 11 July 2020
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.
Paul Q
Auckland Central, New Zealand113 contributions
Apr 2023 • Solo
I struggled to learn much as the audio guide which was connected to the wifi failed to
Load on most occasions. Real shame. Entrance fee was reasonable. Only a short walk from the rain station (15 mins)
Load on most occasions. Real shame. Entrance fee was reasonable. Only a short walk from the rain station (15 mins)
Written 8 April 2023
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.
kim buay p
Singapore, Singapore12,893 contributions
Jun 2022
I did a lived-stream tour of Odawara castle and its ground with Eriko from Heygo. Before we toured the castle ground, Eriko brought us to see the iris flowers and hydrangeas in bloom at the moment. There are also many plum trees bearing fruits. The colours of the hydrangeas vary according to the pH of the soil. The blue flowers are grown in acidic soil with pH less than 5.5. The pink flowers require soil with neutral or alkaline pH of 6.5 or higher. The purple bloom requires soil pH to be 5.5 to 6.5. Although Eriko did not enter the castle, she pointed out that for future visits, we could go up to the top level for a good views of the surrounding seas. Eriko also gave us many great postcard shots of the castles. She also explained lots of the history surrounding this castle.
Written 16 June 2022
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.
Mick
Bangkok, Thailand133 contributions
Nov 2020
Easy to get to from Odawara train station. 10 minutes walk and you're there.
The grounds are lovely with some huge trees.
The castle is restored and well kept with displays of Samurai armour, swords and well documented literature (but some in only Japanese).
It may not be the biggest Castle in Japan but I really enjoyed the visit.
The grounds are lovely with some huge trees.
The castle is restored and well kept with displays of Samurai armour, swords and well documented literature (but some in only Japanese).
It may not be the biggest Castle in Japan but I really enjoyed the visit.
Written 17 November 2020
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.
bcaha
ny1,807 contributions
Mar 2023
Only had time to see Odawara Castle from the outside before catching a train to Kyoto. But I am glad we took the time to go check it out. It was particularly pretty in sakura season and was nice even on a rainy morning.
Written 11 April 2023
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.
Just-Julie-Cairns
Cairns, Australia869 contributions
Jan 2014 • Family
Just out of Odawara railway station and look to your right and you can see the castle on the top of the hill. Call into the Tourist information centre in Odawara Station and you will receive a great map of the area, discount vouchers to the castle and the lovely English speaking staff will guide you to the best entrance to the castle as well as other features of their town. You can hire feudal costumes at the Tokiwagi gate entrance and wear samurai armour and kimono dating back to the days when the castle was at it's finest, then have your photo taken with the castle in the background. The castle itself sits proudly in the castle grounds. You work your way up the three floors to the top viewing level where there is a large souvenir shop. From the top floor outside viewing area you can see the Ishigakiyama Ichiyajo Historical Park where Toyotomi Hideyoshi built his castle (One Night Castle ) While making your way through the castle and on the different levels you will see many museum pieces with artifacts from the castles history some belonging to the Hojo family who owned the castle before Toyotomi Hideyoshi laid siege on the castle and took control. There is a large Black Pine tree in the castle grounds that they say is over 700 years old. There is some digging going on around the castle grounds that looks as if they are excavating more of the castle moat, but this is not in an area that restricts you from enjoying the castle itself. Also in the castle grounds are some monkeys...why? I'm not sure but I just thought to mention them. The castle gardens have heaps of plum and cherry trees so when in season it is very picturesque. There is also a small museum which is only in Japanese so you may not want to pay for this in the combined ticket unless you understand the language. Also near there is a children's playground and we saw the train taking kids for rides as we passed. Nearby is Hotoku Ninomiya Jinja, a small shrine with a lovely little garden and water features. We travelled by local train from Yokohama on the JR Tokaido Line which took about 60 minutes and cost was 950 yen. (cheaper than the shinkansen unless you have the JR Rail Pass) There is quite a lot to see in this area so we made a full day of our trip.
Written 8 February 2014
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.
公的な最寄り（数分）の駐車場は「本町臨時駐車場」＝本町1-5＝30台位ありますがたぶん難しく、栄町駐車場（立体）＝栄町1-15は徒歩5分位、小田原東口駐車場徒歩5分＝150台位＝栄町1-1-127があります。それぞれ料金は最初の1時間が300円位で30分毎+100円位です。可能台数は不明です。
Written 7 April 2019
How long to spend at Odawara Castle? Is 1.5 hours enough?
Written 6 October 2018
1.5-2 hours should be okay :) it's quite big so you'll have to walk a bit to explore the grounds.
Written 7 October 2018
Who takes care of the monkeys? And are they ever allowed to roam outside the cage?
Written 27 September 2018
I asked similar questions when I visited and was told by an employee that “The monkeys” are well cared for daily by the caretakers. They are monitored by environmental resources and allowed to interact freely in a natural state outside of visitor hours.
Written 27 September 2018
Does the Castle Museum have english information...displays and pamphlets?
Written 12 August 2017
Yes. They have English brochure and everything artifact has short English description.
Written 24 April 2018
Is there parking available? How much to park?
Written 30 December 2014
Yes there is a limited amount of parking in the Castle precinct . Think the cost was about US$10 for 3 hours or it might have been 4 hours.
There is also parking about 400-500 metres away and this was where our buses parked.
Written 30 December 2014
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