South Hokkaido · MatsumaeNo.710★★Open in map →
Matsumae Castle and Matsumae Han Yashiki
— Hokkaido's only Japanese-style castle
Hokkaido's only Japanese-style castle stands at the southern tip of the island, above the Tsugaru Strait. The park around it holds a full-scale reconstruction of the Edo-era castle town and one of Japan's broadest collections of cherry varieties.
- FromKikonai Station
- ~90 minHakodate Bus from Kikonai
- Get off atMatsushiro bus stop (Hakodate Bus, Matsumae line)
- On foot
- Matsumae Castle and Matsumae Han Yashiki
The sweet spot
This is a known destination in Hokkaido rather than a hidden one, and the cherry weeks bring large crowds into the park. What keeps it unhurried the rest of the year is distance. The town has no railway, and every visitor arrives on a bus that runs only a handful of times a day.
Where it is
102 more notes in Hokkaido · open the map →What to look for — in walking order
- Matsumae Castle keepthe rebuilt tower above the strait, now the town's castle museum
- Honmaru main-bailey gatea gate left from the original construction, at the top of the approach
- Matsumae Park cherry grovesterraces of cherry planted across the old castle grounds and moat banks
- Teramachi temple rowthe old temple quarter, one gate of which came from the castle itself
- Matsumae Han Yashikia full-scale wooden reconstruction of the Edo castle town, uphill from the keep
How to actually get there
- Kikonai Station → Matsushiro bus stop (Hakodate Bus toward Matsumae, about 1 hour 30 minutes).
- Matsushiro bus stop → Matsumae Castle keep and the main-bailey gate, walking up into Matsumae Park.
- Castle → Teramachi temple row → Matsumae Han Yashiki, continuing uphill on foot.
- Matsumae Han Yashiki → back down to the Matsushiro bus stop for the return bus to Kikonai.
- Hakodate Bus from Kikonai Station
- Kikonai Station on the Hokkaido Shinkansen → Hakodate Bus bound for Matsumae, about 1 hour 30 minutes, alighting at Matsushiro. There is no through bus from Hakodate: that route changes at Kikonai and takes roughly 3 hours end to end. Departures are few, so read the timetable at the station before committing your day to it.
- Return to Kikonai Station
- Board the Hakodate Bus back at Matsushiro for Kikonai Station and pick up the Shinkansen there. Buses run only a handful of times a day in each direction, so choose your return departure before you start walking rather than after.
About the place
Matsumae stands at the southern tip of Hokkaido, looking across the Tsugaru Strait toward Aomori. Through the Edo period the Matsumae clan governed the only feudal domain on the island, and this town, not Sapporo, was its seat of power. The castle grounds are now Matsumae Park, planted with around 250 varieties of cherry, one of the widest ranges anywhere in Japan. The variety count is also the reason the bloom lasts: flowers move through the park in waves instead of finishing in a single week. Uphill from the keep, the Matsumae Han Yashiki rebuilds the streets of that castle town at full scale in wood. Castle and street sit within one walk, and they tell the same history in two registers.
How to enjoy it
Both the castle museum and the Han Yashiki open at 9:00 and take their last entry at 16:30, so one unhurried day covers the pair if you catch an early bus from Kikonai. Start low at the keep, where the strait is in view, then climb through the temple row to the reconstructed street. Watch the return timetable rather than the closing time, because the buses are what decide when your day ends.
Background & history
The Matsumae clan ruled the single feudal domain in what was then called Ezo. Ordered by the shogunate to fortify the coast against foreign ships, the clan finished Fukuyama Castle in 1854, among the last castles Japan built in the old style. The keep burned in 1949 when a fire spread from the town hall nearby, and the tower standing today was rebuilt in 1961. Older fabric survived as well: the main-bailey gate remains from the original work, and a former castle gate now serves as the entrance to Aunji temple.
Before you go
- Cash
- The castle museum and the Matsumae Han Yashiki each charge admission, 360 yen for an adult at the time of checking, and a combined ticket for the two is sold. Carry cash: rural buses and small counters do not always take cards.
- Before you go
- Matsumae is the southern edge of Hokkaido but still takes snow and hard sea wind from December into March, and winter arrangements can differ from the summer ones. The cherry season is the single busiest stretch of the year, when the park fills.
- Another way
- From Hakodate, take a Hakodate Bus service toward Kikonai and change there for Matsumae. By rental car it is about an hour from Kikonai Station along the coast road.
- After you get off
- From the Matsushiro bus stop, walk northwest along the main street and up into Matsumae Park. The white keep shows above the roofs and marks the way.