After driving up a long winding road, offering expansive views over the rolling mountains and towns of Shizuoka, you arrive at Katsuragi Kitanomaru, a dream-like castle resort constructed from seven 200-year-old repurposed country homes.

Pass over the impressive moat and main gate, and you will enter the spacious grounds of the hotel resort, boasting not only beautifully designed tatami rooms with original beams and sunken hearths, but also a vast Japanese garden, three public baths, and two golf courses, all perfectly blending history with modernity.

Make sure to stay in one of the Japanese-style suites and let yourself get transported back to the Edo-era. To complete your modern castle experience, indulge in one of the hotel’s splendid kaiseki dinners, which combine the region’s best produce and meat in a beautiful succession of courses you will never forget.

Address: 2505-2 Ugari, Fukuroi City, Shizuoka Prefecture

Website: www.yamaharesort.co.jp   

Tel: 0538-48-6118