We visited the castle a few days ago by the Shinkansen, great way to go as the train stop is right beside the Castle. Actually the Shinkansen station is on land that was part of the Castle grounds originally. They are celebrating the Castles 400th. Anniversary, it has just recently opened after a major renovation , it must have cost a fortune to bring it back to it’s former glory. Apparently a big part of the cost was born by a local company and others in the community, they are to be congratulated, the community is obviously very proud of the Castle and it’s history. Cost 500 yen to enter, well worth it to see all the displays and learn the history of the Castle, lots of information on the Samurai family who built it 400 years ago , the head of the family who was a cousin of the shogun who ruled Japan at that time was a ferocious warrior who won many battles and was also a greatly respected community person who lived to over 80 years old and at that age was still very active .The view from the top is fantastic. There are a lot of steps between each floor so keep that in mind if you have a walking problem . The grounds and outbuildings are very extensive, this was the grandest Castle in Japan at that time . Well worth a visit, easy by bullet train, about 20 minute journey from Hiroshima which was our destination.

I've seen many castles in Japan and the Fukuyama Castle is up there as one of the more interesting and beautiful ones. The castle is right next to the train station, so no excuses for not visiting. The grounds are free to enter, I recommend exploring the grounds as there are many attractions within the castle walls. Don't miss the little garden here behind the castle as the views are incredible. I just love the architecture of the castle and how it stands out. I did not go inside the castle as I heard it was not worth it, but I found the exterior and grounds to be lovely.