Odawara Castle

Odawara Castle stands a short walk from Odawara Station, the main gateway to Hakone, and it is one of the easiest places to add a slice of samurai history to a mountain trip. For centuries the castle was the stronghold of the Late Hojo clan, whose territory dominated the Kanto region, and it became one of the largest castle towns in the country before it fell after a siege by Toyotomi Hideyoshi at the end of the sixteenth century. It later served as a seat of the Okubo clan during the Edo period, watching over the Tokaido highway, and the present keep is a reconstruction of the main tower built in the twentieth century. Inside, exhibits trace the castle's history with armour, weapons, models and documents, while the top floor has an observation deck with views across the town, the bay and, on clear days, the hills of Hakone. The surrounding grounds include reconstructed gates, stone walls and moats, and a park that is pleasant for an easy stroll.

Seasonal events and festivals bring lanterns and stalls, and the castle sometimes hosts samurai-themed activities, so check what is on during your visit. Some guided tours go beyond the keep to the town beyond, taking in the old castle district and the local foods the area is known for.

\n\nWhy Odawara matters: the town has been an important post on the Tokaido road for centuries, and it still retains a bustling shopping street with fish markets, dried-fish shops and kamaboko fish-paste producers, which are a local speciality. Odawara is also the transport hub for Hakone, with Shinkansen, express and local trains arriving from Tokyo, and the Hakone Tozan line starting from nearby Hakone-Yumoto, so a castle visit slots easily into travel days. A guided discovery tour of the castle and town, as linked here, is a good way to understand the area's history, and it avoids the problem of having few English explanations if you walk around alone.

Allow around one and a half to two hours for the keep and the grounds.\n\nPractical tips: opening days and hours differ for the keep and the park, and the keep may close for maintenance on certain days, so check before you travel. A small admission is charged to enter the main keep, while the grounds are free. The walk from the station takes roughly ten minutes, and the paths are broadly step-free in the park, although the keep itself has stairs.

Lockers at Odawara Station are handy if you are arriving with luggage, and it is easy to pair the castle with a seafood lunch in town. If you are heading on to Hakone, you can visit in the morning or on the way back to Tokyo, and the castle makes a good rainy-day alternative when the ropeway or lake cruise is disrupted. Families with children often enjoy the armour displays and the chance to climb up to the observation deck.