MARUGAME, Kagawa Prefecture--Built about 400 years ago, Marugame Castle is looking for a new feudal lord.

The new master must have deep pockets and foreigners are welcome.

The city government here is offering a rare opportunity for guests to take a trip into the ancient past and follow in the footsteps of the lord of the magnificent fortress. 

It is accepting reservations for an overnight stay with two meals at the castle for two people at the princely sum of 1.265 million yen ($8,070), including tax.

The offer is primarily aimed at wealthy tourists from abroad.

LIVING HISTORY PRESERVED

Marugame Castle here is one of 12 castles with a main keep constructed in or before the Edo Period (1603-1867).

Sitting on a hill overlooking the Seto Inland Sea, the castle is renowned for its magnificent stone walls while its main keep is the oldest in the Shikoku region.

Also standing in its San-no-Maru Square is the Enjukaku Bekkan building, which was built in the early Showa Era (1926-1989) with parts and materials from a residence of the Kyogoku clan, ruler of the feudal Marugame Domain, that once stood in Edo (present-day Tokyo).

LIVING LIFE OF A CASTLE LORD

The overnight castle stay program will start in July.

Guests will be picked up by a rickshaw at JR Marugame Station to ride to the Ote Ichi-no-mon gate, where they will be welcomed by performers playing a traditional “taiko” drum.

They will walk or use other modes of transportation to get to the main keep and view the important cultural property situated on a 66-meter hill, which will be rented out to them. 

They will be served dinner at Enjukaku Bekkan where they will stay overnight.

The meal will be prepared by famed French chef Shu Ishii, made using in-season ingredients from around the area and served on a “gozen” tray bearing the emblem of the Kyogoku clan.

At night, the guests can spend time inside the main keep enjoying drinks and the night view of Marugame Port.

Breakfast will be served in the main building at the daimyo-style Nakazu Banshoen Garden.

Castle stays have become popular in Europe where there are many built by aristocrats.

In Japan, a castle stay program began in 2020 when Ozu Castle in Ehime Prefecture started accepting overnight guests.

Hirado Castle in Nagasaki Prefecture followed suit in 2021, with Marugame Castle and Fukuyama Castle in Hiroshima Prefecture joining the ranks this year.

At Ozu Castle, guests can stay at the donjon rebuilt in 2004 except August and between December through February due to the difficulty in controlling room temperatures and other reasons.

Meanwhile, guests can stay at Marugame Castle throughout the year because Enjukaku Bekkan is equipped with an air-conditioning system.

The city government spent 10 months from May 2023 strengthening the building’s earthquake resistance and renovating the bath and the restroom.

The municipality spent about 289 million yen for the remodeling work and other related costs to prepare for the castle stay program.

UNSURE PROSPECTS

City officials are seeking to use the program to raise the profile of Marugame Castle and promote tourism.

They are also planning to use a building usage fee of 100,000 yen charged for each guest to preserve cultural properties and make the city a model of sustainable tourism.

The castle stay program is aimed at pairs, in principle, with officials hoping to attract 23 pairs in fiscal 2024, 36 pairs in fiscal 2025 and 38 pairs in fiscal 2026.

However, they need to raise the profile of the program and attract enough guests to cover maintenance and operating costs and keep the business rolling.

“This is our first effort, and we don’t know how many applications we will receive until we start it,” an official said.

TRAVEL ADVISER’S TAKE

The city government invited four travel experts to conduct a trial stay in February.

One was Chris Glenn, 56, an inbound tourism adviser from Australia.

In an interview with The Asahi Shimbun, Glenn said that the program was well-planned and better than he had expected.

“Enjukaku Bekkan was especially great because I felt the history and brilliance in its furniture and furnishings,” he said. “The bath was so spacious that I could relax in it even though I am 188 centimeters tall. It was so good that I wanted to live there.”

Glenn added that he was impressed not only by the drum performance but also by the movements of the mask-wearing performers.

He continued, “I also enjoyed breakfast and the ‘sencha’ tea-making experience in the quaint building at the Nakazu Banshoen Garden.”

He also suggested improvements that should be made for the program.

He was given a kimono and a pair of Japanese sandals to wear, but the traditional footwear was hard and slippery to walk in. 

“I felt pain in my feet, and I had to watch my step and couldn’t focus on the scenery around me,” he said.

Meanwhile, the expert said castle stays are particularly popular in Britain, France and Germany.

“Many castles in Europe are owned by individuals and castle stays have become a business because it costs a lot of money to maintain them,” Glenn said.