Japanese Castle Towns

As with Europe, Japan has had a long history which has left its mark on cities today. Most of Japan’s cities started out as castle towns, built up around the castle of the local samurai lord during Japan’s feudal period, which ended only 142 years ago. Virtually all the cities around J-List — Gunma prefectural capital Maebashi, commercialized Takasaki with its sleek Bullet Train line, and our own Isesaki — originated as castle towns, and have curvy, narrow, inconvenient roads to prove it. Most of the beautiful castles in Japan are long gone, some lost to floods or general disuse and others destroyed during World War II, and their ruins are usually transformed into parks or other open spaces where people can come have a picnic. It is nice to have a bit of history around you. When you visit the Suzuran department story in Takasaki, you drive along the moat that guarded Takasaki Castle for 413 years.

Most Japanese cities are former castle towns, like Takasaki.