There are many beautiful castles in Japan. Most of them are restored versions of their former glory, rising from the ground as beacons of Japanese culture and history. However, there is one castle that, quite literally, sits above the rest. The Takeda Castle ruins loom over Asago City from their mountain home. Aptly nicknamed "the castle floating in the sky" by locals, Takeda Castle peeks out from the fog that encases the mountains every autumn morning. It's a perfect place for an overnight or day-trip, and there's plenty to do in the surrounding area if you want to expand your visit into a weekend or longer!
First, a little history of the castle: it was built sometime around 1431 with the purpose of protecting the surrounding region from aggressors. It was named a protected historical monument in 1943, and it's been listed as on of the 100 Fine Castles of Japan since 2006. The castle is split into four different parts: the North, South, West, and Center. It's huge--about 100 meters by 400 meters--and speaking from personal experience, it's a great place to eat breakfast as the sun rises. If you want more of the technical information about the castle and its history, you can check out the Asago City tourism website.
It's possible to travel to Asago City by train, and the station is pretty close to the main trailhead. Having a car is a bonus, though, and there is plenty of free parking around the city. Since the best time to see the castle is as the sun is rising, you're going to have to start hiking pretty early. We started climbing the mountain at about 6 in the morning. The hike itself takes maybe thirty minutes to an hour (depending on how much you like hiking), and it's definitely a challenge. It's steep, and there are a lot of stairways, so if you're not young, strong, and decently healthy, maybe take a cab or bus to the ticket booth and go from there? Tickets are 500 yen for adults, and if you're not Japanese, they have you put a little sticker on a chart of all of the international countries!
Unfortunately, we picked a day with pretty poor weather (it actually rained when we got down off of the mountain), but we did catch a short glimpse of the sun as it peeked out over the clouds. Fall is the absolute best time to visit Takeda Castle because fog rises from the river at the base of the mountain as the air gets warm in the morning, and it encases the castle with the sunrise. The view is stunning, even if you don't get perfect weather, and the castle is fun to tour.
When you return to Earth, make sure to check out the museum and tourist center! There's a bunch of cute things you can get at the gift shop, and there's a lot of information about the castle and its history.
