The 2023 "Shizuoka Festival" was held.
."Tokugawa Ieyasu held a cherry blossom viewing party with his vassals in SunpuIn accordance with the legend, "Showa32This festival started in 2006.
Shizuoka Festival (Sept. 15 festival held at Shizuoka Prefecture)
Imperial procession
The highlight of the festival is the "Daimyo Hanami Gyoretsu (Grand Imperial Procession of Hanami).
This year.1The day was Naoki Tanaka of Kokoriko,2The day was Tetsuya Bessho.
With the current excitement over the Taiga Drama, it was a little disappointing that the casting was not connected to the drama.
However, the festival is crowded with many people. It gets very crowded.
There will be many food stalls, which will make both adults and children feel excited and happy.
The park is spacious, so it is useful to bring leisure sheets and chairs.
Enjoying hanami under the cherry blossoms in full bloom, one is deeply moved by the thought that Tokugawa Ieyasu also enjoyed hanami in the same way.
The Shizuoka Festival is usually not blessed with good weather every year,2Clear skies for both days.
Cherry blossoms are in full bloom.
For the first time in a long time, the city center was lively.
Sunpu Castle Park
We recommend Sunpu Castle Park in Shizuoka City.
It is also known as the site of Sunpu Castle, where Tokugawa Ieyasu began construction in 1585 and where Ieyasu spent the last years of his life.
This park is recommended for history and castle lovers.
Japan's top 100 castles
The Japan Castle Association selected the "100 Great Castles of Japan" in 2007 to commemorate its 40th anniversary.
Sunpu Castle has been selected as one of these "100 Great Castles of Japan.
The castle tower was completed in 1610, but was destroyed by fire in 1635 when a fire broke out in the castle area and spread to the castle.
Only the keep tower survived.
The Tatsumi Tower was restored in 1989 and the East Gate in 1996, using archival materials as reference.
It is now open to the public as a museum.
In 2014, the Ninomaru Kuniyagura was restored and turned into a museum.
Stamps for the 100 Great Castles are located at the East Gate and at the ticket office in the Kun Tower.
The stamp was outside the ticket office (at the time).
Sunpu Castle Park Recommended Guide
Excavation site of the castle tower
The first is the site of the keep's base excavation, which has been open to the public at all times, since 2016.
The castle tower was destroyed by fire, but the keep's base remained.
Later, the keep was demolished and the main moat was reclaimed.
Excavations have revealed a huge castle tower and the Honmaru moat.
The extent of the field is astonishing.
It was also good to see the site as it was excavated.
It was a very wonderful reminder of those days.
Excavation Information Center Kyashiru
In addition, there is a facility called "Excavation Information Center Kyasshiru" attached to the building.
The information about the survey was displayed in an easy-to-understand manner and was very informative.
We hope that the keep will be restored. The excavation site can be seen even in the rain.
Beams of Kun Tower (Hitsujisaru Yagura)
The second is the kun-yagura (read as hitsujisaru yagura).
The Kun Tower is a three-story building, but the floorboards and ceiling panels inside have been removed so that the beams can be seen through.
Part of the floorboard has also been removed and is now tempered glass, allowing the structure under the floor to be seen.
This was a very valuable experience, as no other castle offers such a view of the underfloor of the turrets.
Tatsumi Yagura (Tatsumi Tower)
The third is the Tatsumi Yagura.
The Tatsumi Yagura is a two-story, three-story corner turret, so named because of its location in the direction of Tatsumi, which is represented by the twelve signs of the Chinese zodiac.
The distinctive feature of this Tatsumi Yagura is that it has an L-shaped flat surface.
This is very rare among castle turrets in Japan.
Originally, turrets were used to attack the enemy and store weapons, and this Tatsumi Yagura is said to be the best defensive turret in Sunpu Castle.
In this way, visitors can come into contact with historical buildings and feel close to the achievements of their predecessors.
Access to Sunpu Castle Park
The park can be reached on foot from JR Shizuoka Station, but it takes about 15 minutes.
It takes 12 minutes on foot from Shin-Shizuoka Railway Shin-Shizuoka Station.
Bicycle rentals are available at the station.
When heading there by bus, it is convenient to take the Suruga Romance Bus or Community Bus "Koshizu".
It is a 15-minute ride on the Suruga Roman Bus from JR Shizuoka Station North Exit (platform 10), or a little more than 10 minutes from Shin-Shizuoka Station (platform 3) when using the Shizuoka Railway.
Fares are 200 yen for adults and 100 yen for children.
There are 7 hourly flights on weekdays and 13 every 30 minutes on weekends.
When driving to the park, there is no parking at the park.
However, you can use the underground parking lot of the nearby civic center.
However, there is a fee.
admission fee
Admission fees apply to the East Gate, Tatsumi Yagura, Kun Yagura, and Momijiyama Garden.
A common ticket for admission to the three facilities costs 360 yen.
Cashless payments are also supported.
Shizuoka City residents 70 years of age and older save!
Admission is free if you show proof that you are a resident of Shizuoka City and over 70 years old.
Business Hours
The museum is open from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The museum is closed on Mondays and during the year-end and New Year's holidays.
Overwhelmed by the bronze statue of Lord Ieyasu
In the central part of the park, there is a bronze statue of Lord Ieyasu during his time in Sunpu as Grand Highness (10 years from age 65 to 75).
I was overwhelmed by the sheer size of the place.
The Momijiyama Garden offers seasonal flowers.
It is a very grand and luxurious garden for a feudal lord.
There is also a tea ceremony room available for anyone to rent.
There was also a tea service, and we enjoyed tea and sweets while admiring the lovely garden.
Why not visit Sunpu Castle Park, a place rich in nature where you can feel the history?
