- Anime
- Yuri!!! on ICE
- Area
- Karatsu, Saga
- Sources
- 5 official pages
Karatsu is the model for Yuri's hometown of Hasetsu, and Saga Prefecture has run official collaborations with the series.
Written and checked by AnimeTrails Editorial
Please be a considerate guest: keep your voice down, keep paths clear and leave the place as you found it.
History and what the keep holds
According to the Karatsu Tourist Association, the castle is said to have been completed over seven years starting in 1602 by Terasawa Hirotaka, a retainer of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The castle's own site adds that materials from Nagoya Castle are said to have been reused in the construction. It is also known as Maizuru Castle, because the beach and pine grove around it look like a crane spreading its wings.
The castle had no keep at first. The current keep was built in 1966 as a cultural and tourism facility and houses a local history museum with materials on the Karatsu domain and Karatsu ware pottery. The keep interior was renovated in July 2017, and a souvenir shop is on the first floor.
Admission, hours and the hillside climb
Admission is about 500 yen for adults and about 250 yen for elementary and junior high students, and preschoolers are free. The keep is open roughly 9:00 to 17:00, with last entry at 16:40, though hours change by season. It is closed from December 29 to 31, so check the operator's page before you go.
The castle stands on a small hill of about 46 meters, so the approach involves slopes and many steps. The stairs to the keep and turrets are steep with high risers, and the castle states that wheelchair users cannot tour the inside alone. An elevator in Maizuru Park is available for about 100 yen one way for adults. Pets are allowed everywhere except inside the keep.
Getting there and seasonal views
From Karatsu Station on the JR Chikuhi Line, the castle is about 2 km away. The castle's site lists a Showa Bus ride of roughly 10 minutes to the Karatsu-jo Iriguchi stop, or a taxi of about 8 minutes for roughly 1,050 to about 1,500 yen. A paid parking lot with 190 car spaces is next to the castle.
Maizuru Park, on the site of the main enclosure, has cherry trees that bloom in late March and wisteria that blooms from late April to early May. From the keep, visitors can look out over the Genkai Sea, Iki Island, the Niji-no-Matsubara pine grove and the town of Karatsu.
Station map