Iwamura Castle Town

Iwamura Castle is one of Japan's three great mountain castles, along with Takatori Castle in Yamato (Nara Prefecture) and Matsuyama Castle in Bitchu (Okayama Prefecture). The castle was built at the highest point (717m above sea level) among the castles of the Edo domains, and is a strong mountain castle that skillfully takes advantage of the topography of Tento, with a height difference of 180m, and even the weather, which is prone to fog, was taken advantage of in its construction. The castle town still retains its historical and cultural appearance and townscape, and has scenery that cannot be seen anywhere else. Around the old townscape, which is approximately 1.3km long, there are still merchant houses, old houses, and sea cucumber walls that retain the atmosphere of those days. There are shops selling the famous castella, Gohei mochi, and Kankara mochi, as well as local sake breweries. Surrounded by mountains and nature, this place is also perfect for cycling.