BUMBLING TOURIST

A Day in Kakegawa: From Castle Visits to Scenic Train Rides (and a spooky little Shrine)

We then walked to the Ginzan line Asakusa station and took the train to Kanda where we decided to walk to Tokyo station. The walk was really lovely, it’s an area that we had never explored. We passed a lot of little izakayas under the train tracks and witnessed a lot of locals starting their days. The walk took about 15 minutes. 

Here is a video we made of our day in Kakegawa Shizuoka Japan
A street scene under a large elevated bridge featuring a restaurant with red signage and various shops. A pedestrian crossing is visible in the foreground, and traffic lights are seen nearby.
Tokyo Japan

We then went to the JR railway cafe at Tokyo station and exchanged our vouchers for our JR passes. This process was the quickest it had ever been, taking about 20 minutes total including waiting in line. We then bought some train snacks (onigiri, coffee, sandwiches) before boarding our 11:27 Kodama train to Kakegawa.

View of snow-capped Mount Fuji from a train window, with industrial buildings and blue roofs in the foreground under a clear sky.
A view of Mount Fuji from the train to Kakegawa

We sat together on the right side of the train which provided us with a lovely view of Mount Fuji. We had been in Japan less than 24 hours and had seen Mount Fuji twice already!

A bronze statue of a young child reading a book, standing on a stone pedestal, with a tree and modern buildings in the background.
Kakegawa station

The train ride was 1.5 hours, arriving at 1:06 in Kakegawa. In Kakegawa we were able to get the station stamps in our notebooks and two other anime character stamps. We briefly visited the visitor center in the station and I got a postcard of Mount Fuji drawn by a local artist for 176 Yen ($1.50). We then slowly walked to our hotel, Dormy Inn. 

View of a bridge leading to a castle in the distance, surrounded by bare trees under a cloudy sky.
Kakegawa Castle

There were many statues of women along the roadway. We arrived at our hotel at 1:30pm. The receptionist explained that we couldn’t check in until 3pm, which we knew. We asked to leave our bags and this was no problem. 

Stone fox statues at the entrance of a traditional Japanese shrine, with a wooden structure and red gates in the background.
A little inari shrine on the way to Kakegawa Castle

We then walked to Kakegawa castle nearby, along a beautiful river that was lined with cherry blossom trees (not in bloom).I’m sure in about one month’s time this river would be gorgeous with all the cherry blossoms in bloom. We also visited an old city gate and a small inari shrine along the way to the castle.

A smiling woman and a man pose for a selfie in front of a traditional Japanese gate.
An old city gate in Kakegawa

At the castle we paid 410 Yen to go inside. The ticket included entrance to both the castle and the palace. We climbed the steps up to the castle on the hill. An older tour group was descending as we were going up. One lady was very insistent that she take a photo for us, it was actually a really nice photo. 

Visitors ascending and descending stone steps leading to a traditional Japanese castle, surrounded by greenery and soft hills, under a cloudy sky.
Climbing up to Kakegawa Castle

We then entered the castle tower, removing our shoes first. The steps between each level of the castle were so narrow and steep! There were spots where castle defenders would have been able to drop things down on intruders. The view from the top of the tower was amazing, you could actually see Mount Fuji on the distant horizon. We then descended and went to Kakegawa palace. We found the palace very interesting. There were some incredible displays of armour and scale models of festivals and buildings. At the gift shop we purchased a Kakegawa castle tote bag and a button that I put on my bag. We then tried our hand at two gatchapon and I got two cats kneeling on cushions and drinking green tea.

Two people standing on stone steps leading to a Japanese castle, smiling and posing for the photo.
A lovely photo a local took of us on the way to Kakegawa castle.
View from a window showing traditional tiled roofs and a cityscape with modern buildings in the background under a cloudy sky.
The view from the top of Kakegawa castle

We then walked back to the hotel to check in, which was simple and painless. Our room was on the 12th floor, one floor below the onsen which we could actually hear from our room. From our window I could see Mount Fuji on the horizon. We unpacked a little and had a drink in the room to relax. 

A man standing in a traditional Japanese interior hallway with wooden beams and tatami flooring.
Inside the palace in Kakegawa

We set out again at 5pmish just before sunset to see a shrine about a 25 minute walk way called “Tatsuo Shrine”. We walked along lovely local streets to the base of a small hill where a very uneven set of steps led up to a shrine among the trees. The rocky steps were lined with red and white paper lanterns that appeared as if they might light up at night. The lanterns were swaying in the breeze, which almost gave the shrine a spooky feel. 

A stone torii gate adorned with a rope hangs over a set of stairs leading up a path, surrounded by lush greenery.
Tatsuo Shrine in Kakegawa Japan
Stone statue of a cartoon character in a shrine courtyard, with colorful lanterns and traditional Japanese architecture in the background.
Doraemon at Tatsuo Shrine in Kakegawa Japan

At the top of the steps there was a giant lady head painted on a board and suspended in a torii gate. There was an opening in the mouth to walk through. The pathway to the main shrine was surrounded by colourful lanterns. There was also inexplicably a Doraemon statue in the shrine. To the left as well there was an inari shrine flanked by two inari with cylinders in their mouths. 

A stone pathway leading through a forested area, flanked by trees and traditional lanterns, leading to a torii gate in the distance under a soft sunset.
Tatsuo Shrine in Kakegawa Japan
A person stands with arms outstretched in front of a large, cartoonish gate featuring a stylized face with a playful expression, surrounded by trees and buildings.
Tatsuo Shrine in Kakegawa Japan

We then walked back in the direction of our hotel, stopping about 15 minutes later to take a little side quest to follow a sign that said “castle ruins”. It was getting fairly dark. The hill the ruins were on was covered in early blooming daffodils swaying in the breeze. 

A selfie of two people standing under colorful lanterns in a vibrant outdoor setting. One person is wearing glasses and a blazer, while the other is dressed in a cozy sweater and beanie.
Tatsuo Shrine in Kakegawa Japan

At the top of the hill there were a few small remnants of an old city wall and what looked like some mausoleums. We then began our search for a place to have dinner. It took quite a while to find a place to eat. I wanted to eat along Honjin Dori (an eating street with little booths), but the booths were so small and I didn’t want to make a local who might not speak English feel uncomfortable. 

A cozy dining table at a Japanese restaurant featuring two mugs of beer, a selection of side dishes including edamame and assorted vegetables, chopsticks, and a menu on the table. A person sits at the table, partially visible.
Binchotan Grill Enshu Aoiya in Kakegawa Japan

We finally settled on a place called “Binchotan Grill Enshu Aoiya”. We sat down and ordered on my phone with a QR code. We got two medium sized beers, the cabbage with the sesame oil, lightly pickled cucumber, edamame, a set of veggie skewers (green onion, pepper, mushroom, garlic), a sashimi set with five types of fish and a dish you get with the seating..which was probably my favourite of the lot. It was seaweed and cabbage with sesame and vinegar. The meal was delicious. I was so proud of us for being brave and going in. The total was 5400 Yen and we paid on the website as well. Just as we were leaving the restaurant, a large group of business men filed in, blocking the way out for us. It was funny, but also awesome as we squished ourselves against the booth, trying to take up as little space as possible. 

A view of a traditional Japanese castle illuminated against a twilight sky, with bare trees and a bamboo fence in the foreground.
Kakegawa castle at night

We then headed back to the hotel, stopping at a Family Mart to get snacks for later. We went to the baths on the top floor of our hotel. There were three ladies in the one bath, but they were all leaving. I chose a locker and then headed to the wash station. As you enter the bath there was a large bath to the left with dark golden water, and a small cold bath to the right, leading to the bathing stations, which there were six of. There was a sauna right ahead, directly across from the entrance. The sauna had a rotation scent, this one was grapefruit and Ylang Ylang. I soaked in each bath slowly. From the outdoor bath you could see Kakegawa castle lit up on the hill! The air was so cold and the wind was pretty strong, but the water kept me warm. Baths when the air is cold are the best!! We then watched some of the Olympics on TV and went to bed around 10pm. 

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