Okayama Castle reopens after major renovations

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:05 JST, November 26, 2022

OKAYAMA — Okayama Castle reopened on Nov. 3 after extensive renovations.

The castle was built in 1597. The black exterior of the tower keep led it to be dubbed “Crow Castle.”

A 1945 air raid on Okayama City, however, destroyed most of the structure including the tower. The castle tower was rebuilt with reinforced concrete in 1966.

In the latest major renovation, which began in June last year, the Okayama city government focused on seismic reinforcement of the tower and renewing its exhibits.

The entrance to the castle tower is in the basement, from which level visitors take an elevator up to the sixth floor. They then proceed down the stairs to view the themed exhibits on each floor.

There is also projection mapping on the first and fifth floors to help visitors learn about the castle.