The ruins of Shimoda Castle are located to the south of Shimoda downtown. If you walk on the "Perry's Road to the east, you will reach the foot of the hill. The ruins of Shimoda Castle are located on the hill.

You will further walk up steep steps and go out onto the ridge path. I guess this area used to be in the castle area of Shimoda Castle. You will look down on a square at the foot of the hill. There used to be a residence of the castle lord at this place.

The ridge path continues to the east around the square.

After walking along the ridge path, we reached a high point. This high point is said to be the basement of Shimoda Castle's castle tower.

The back of the basement of the castle tower was sharply carved and formed a walkway. Dry moats surround the both sides of the basement.

The below picture shows the dry moat along the basement of the castle tower.

The ruins of Shimoda Castle have been developed into Shimoda Park, which is known for its hydrangea flowers. Almost no trace of the castle remains, but moat-cut and this dry moat still convey the atmosphere of those days.

In addition to the path which I came up on, ridge paths extend in three directions from the high point where the former castle tower stands. If you walk on the ridge path to south-west, you will go to the "Shidaga-Ura" View Point.

From the "Shidaga-Ura" View Point, you can see the magnificent view of the Pacific Ocean. The light beams were just shining in, making for an impressive view.

To the south-east, you will arrive at the "Ochagasaki" View Point. There is a gazebo at Ochagasaki View Point, where you can relax and enjoy the view.

From the "Ochagasaki" View Point, you will see Shimoda Aquarium. In the Muromachi Age, This inlet was apparently a naval base. I imagine many warships were moored here.

If you walk to the east from the high point where the former castle tower stands, you will go to Babagasaki View Point. On the way, you will see downtown Shimoda on your left.

The below picture shows the view of Shimoda Bay from the "Babagasaki" View Point. The "Babagasaki" View Point is located on a cape and you will look down on the ships entering and leaving Shimoda Port from the view point.

In 1854, Commodore Perry's fleet also entered Shimoda Port. At that time, there must have been people looking down on Commodore Perry's fleet from this cape.

After visiting all the view points of the ruins of Shimoda Castle, I went down to the square at the foot of the ruins of Shimoda Castle. The square is named as "Shimoda Opening of the Port Memorial Plaza". The monument at the back of the square was erected in May 1953 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the opening of Shimoda Port.

Shimoda Castle was abandoned in the early 17th century, and four hundred years have passed since then. Not much remains of the castle, but the view from the castle ruins is wonderful.

How to get there
From Tokyo, take a Limited Express "Odoriko" directly to Izukyu-Shimoda. It takes approximately two hours and forty minutes. From Osaka, take a Tokaido Shinkansen to Atami and change to "Odoriko".

Other Historical Sites near by:
Gotenba Area
Mt. Hakone, Oowakudani
Lake Ashinoko
Atami
Shimoda Area