Komoro Castle Ruins is an absolute must visit spot during the cherry blossom season. It's the only place in Japan that I know of that you are able to climb the castle walls and walk along a path on those walls in order to view the cherry blossom forest from above. The walls themselves also have cherry blossom trees planted on top of it, so you are quite literally surrounded by cherry blossoms.
I know its hard to imagine, but please check out the videos I've attached to this review. You can see the path up the walls, and also the path on top the of the walls. It's absolutely insane.
Amazing during sakura season. Not a big park by any means but the positioning of the trees and that you can go up the ruins of the castle makes for some stunning views of the sakura as you are literally next to the sakura flowers, so really good for pictures!
There is also an area for you to have Hanami parties below the sakura trees. Well worth spending half a day to relax and marvel the magic of spring in Japan. The ticket price is very affordable and you can get a combo ticket if you feel like visiting the museums etc.
This is 2nd time we are here, the flower not yet bloomed yet. Beautiful and lovely place which I really enjoyed
Kaikoen(castle ruins), Komoro, Nagano, Japan. The Yatsugatake High Country rail which passes the highest station in the whole of Japan: Nobeyama is a restful way to see the spectacular countryside of the Japan alps on the way to the the castle ruin park Kaikoen of Komoro in Nagano Japan.
400 yen includes tickets to the Memorial Hall of Toson, the Koyama Keizo Museum of Art, and the Chokokan weapons museum. The castle ruin gardens are free. Toson was one the major authors of the Meiji period renowned for social realism; ‘The Broken Commandment’ depicts the life of a young man born into the despised burakumin class. Keizo Koyama’s Japanese western style paintings recapture the beauty of Komoro and the surrounding alps. Bridges, stone gardens and all that Japanese traditional gardens encapsulate can be found in this peaceful, uncrowded castle ruin park. Come November, the autumnal reds will bring the park ablaze, just as spring with transform the park with the cherry blossoms.
Opposite the park’s entrance a long line of people wait patiently for a seat in Kusabue (Whistling Grass) Soba restaurant . Be sure to write your name in the book before lining up!!! We lined up for maybe 30 minutes and we’re not disappointed; Toson soba included tempura, apples, walnuts, wakame(seaweed) and nagaimo(mountain potato).
The station is filled with home grown produce and an honesty box. We feasted on fresh apples on our train trip home. Four apples for 200 yen.
Komoro is well connected by rail and well off the usual tourist track.
Nice park to visit while in Komoro. The zoo is getting a renovation and the new penguin enclosure looks pretty nice and decent. The entrance fee to the park is affordable at 500 yen for a combined ticket to visit some of the museums which houses art and various artifacts from Komoro's history. Worth a visit for those who want a quiet place without much tourist and an insight into some of the town's history and sights.
More about Komoro Castle Ruins (Kaikoen Park), Nagano from our blog
