Ueda Castle Ninomaru Ruins

One of my favorite clans! I had to check out Ueda Castle. The parking is pretty far and at this time, there weren't many people. The shrine is on the grounds and if you want to get the gojoin and stamp, they are across the street at the Info office.

Had a lot of fun here during the spring festival! There were so many people, but the atmosphere was wonderful. There were a lot of cherry blossom trees and other flowers too. There was a street performer doing magic tricks. There were food trucks, and plenty of parking. I want to come every spring. It is free to enter but you need to pay for parking. Tip: Bring your own water because the water is ¥400 here. The fries I bought from a stall were soggy too but still edible. The parking is also a bit more expensive during peak season.

Really lovely castle with a very rich history of one of the coolest samurai clan in all of Japan, the Sanada clan, famous for their samurai uniform with antlers and red color (you've probably seen in movies). Ueda castle also had legendary defense battles against many sieges, the subject of a popular Japanese tv show "sanadamaru". The castle is also featured in other works such as "Summer Wars". While the castle gates aren't as big as Matsumoto castle, I think they are definitely worth visiting if you are in the area..they have amazing armor on display and a rich cultural center and museum nearby.

Huge park with museums, a shrine, and much more. You can spend so much time appreciating the history and beauty here. The whole month of April is a cherry blossom festival and it becomes very lively with street food stalls and people.

The place overall is nice, even though rather small. We did not check out the castle but the park around it was full of flowers and there was a nice traditional event taking place