Guide · Culture
Samurai castles and history: fees, hours and winter status
Himeji is $16 (¥2,500) and closes 29 and 30 December. Matsumoto's fee is unclear right now. Kakunodate keeps two samurai houses open in winter.
Himeji Castle is the clearest castle stop: $16 (¥2,500) for adults, open 09:00 to 17:00 and closed only on 29 and 30 December. Matsumoto Castle is the second, but its current fee is unclear right now. For the houses where samurai families lived, Kakunodate keeps two open in winter and closes two, and Kanazawa has the Nomura Samurai Residence.
This guide gives fees, hours and winter status as the official pages state them. It sits in the Culture hub and feeds the culture guide.
Which samurai sites are open in winter?
Most are, with shorter days and a few closures around New Year. Two Kakunodate houses shut for the season.
| Site | Adult fee | Hours | Winter status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Himeji Castle | $16 (¥2,500) | 09:00 to 17:00, last entry 16:00 | Closed 29 and 30 Dec |
| Matsumoto Castle | Unclear right now | 08:30 to 17:00, last entry 16:30 | Closed 29 to 31 Dec; 10:00 to 15:30 on 1 to 3 Jan |
| Nomura house | $4 (¥550) | 08:30 to 17:30, to 16:30 from Oct to Mar | Closed days unclear for 2026-27 |
| Ishiguro house | $3 (¥400) | 09:00 to 17:00 | Open all year |
| Aoyagi house | $3 (¥500) | 09:00 to 16:00 from Dec to Mar | Open all year |
| Iwahashi, Odano | Free | 09:00 to 16:30, mid-Apr to Nov | Closed in winter |
Dollar figures use about ¥155 to US$1 and are rounded; you pay in yen, so check the rate.
How does Himeji Castle work?
Adults (18 and over) pay $16 (¥2,500), and under-18s enter free, per the castle’s English page. The fee dates from 1 March 2026. Himeji city residents pay $6 (¥1,000), so the cheaper rate depends on where you live, not your nationality. A combined ticket with the Kokoen garden is $17 (¥2,600).
Entry runs 09:00 to 17:00 with last entry at 16:00, and the only listed closure is 29 and 30 December. Outdoor shoes are not allowed in the keep. Bring your own shoe bag and thick socks, the same habit as at temples (see Temple and shrine etiquette).
The castle’s site shows live queue information and a congestion forecast, so read both on the day. It also lists illumination from sunset to midnight, with 15-minute performances at 20:00 and 21:00.
What does Matsumoto Castle cost?
The current adult fee is unclear right now. The castle’s info page shows $5 (¥700) for the tower and garden, and $2 (¥300) for elementary and junior-high children. That page still lists 2023 event dates, so it looks out of date. Secondary guides report a fee rise on 1 April 2025 to about $8 (¥1,200) for a timed e-ticket and about $8 (¥1,300) on paper, with children aged 6 to 15 at $3 (¥400). Those guides also describe e-tickets bookable up to three months ahead. We use neither figure as current.
The hours are on the official info page. It gives 08:30 to 17:00 with last entry at 16:30, closed 29 to 31 December, then 10:00 to 15:30 on 1 to 3 January with last entry at 15:00. The castle’s site shows a live queue time.
Castle Week ran 3 to 10 November 2026, with the Taiko Gate specially opened from 09:00 to 16:00. The info page also lists free entry to the garden and tower for visitors in kimono, alongside its summer period. Whether that applies in winter is not stated.
What is the Nomura Samurai Residence in Kanazawa?
It is a samurai residence in Kanazawa’s Nagamachi district, priced at $4 (¥550) for adults. Kanazawa’s visitor site lists hours of 08:30 to 17:30, shortened to 16:30 from October to March, with last entry 30 minutes before closing.
One trip-ideas page on the same site lists closures on 26 to 27 December and 1 to 2 January without naming a year. Treat those dates as last known and confirm them for 2026-27.
Which Kakunodate samurai houses are open in winter?
Two are open all year and two close for the season, per Semboku City’s page on the district’s samurai houses.
Ishiguro house is open all year, 09:00 to 17:00. Adults and high-school students pay $3 (¥400). Elementary and junior-high students pay $1 (¥200).
Aoyagi house is open all year: 08:30 to 17:00 from April to November, and 09:00 to 16:00 from December to March. Adults pay $3 (¥500), junior-high and high-school students $2 (¥300), and elementary students $1 (¥200).
The city page gives no hours or fees for the Matsumoto and Kawarada houses in Kakunodate, only two city phone numbers: +81 187-43-3352 and +81 187-43-3384. It also names no weekly closed day. No opening hours are published for the Kakunodate tourist office.
What about other castles?
Three more show up in our sources, each with an open question.
- Nagoya Castle: the main keep is closed and cannot be entered. The official site lists 09:00 to 16:30 (the castle entrance closes at 16:00) and a closure from 29 December to 1 January. The adult fee was $6 (¥1,000), but fees changed on 1 October 2026 and the new amount is unclear right now.
- Osaka Castle: secondary guides report an adult tower fee of about $8 (¥1,200) from 2025, hours of 09:00 to 17:00 with last entry at 16:30, and a closure from 28 December to 1 January.
- Nijo Castle: a secondary guide’s table shows the Ninomaru palace closed 26 to 28 December and 1 to 3 January in 2025-26. That is the last known pattern; the 2026-27 dates were not found.
Where can you see samurai swords and museums?
Tokyo National Museum’s English site lists hours of 09:30 to 17:00, with last entry 30 minutes before closing and some days open until 20:00. Its calendar was not read, and its closed days, admission fee and the room or location of the sword display are not found.
The Samurai Museum in Tokyo has English pages, but the ones reached show old prices and an old closure notice. No current price, hours or opening status is given.
No other sword museum has an official page in the sources, so none is listed.
Where next?
Samurai history sits beside Ninja museums at Iga and Koka and Sumo tournaments, tickets and stables. Gion’s rules and ticketed shows are in Geisha and Gion etiquette. Every culture page is in the Culture hub, and the culture guide gives the overview.
Questions
No. The castle's English page sets the adult fee (18 and over) at $16 (¥2,500) and a lower $6 (¥1,000) rate for Himeji city residents. The price follows residence, not nationality, and under-18s enter free.
The current fee is unclear right now. The official info page shows $5 (¥700), but it looks out of date, and secondary guides report about $8 (¥1,200 to ¥1,300) from 1 April 2025. Call +81 263-32-2902 before you budget.
Ishiguro (09:00 to 17:00) and Aoyagi (09:00 to 16:00 from December to March) are open all year. Iwahashi and Odano are free but open only from mid-April to November, so they are closed in winter.
Mostly. Himeji's only listed closure is 29 and 30 December. Matsumoto closes 29 to 31 December and opens 10:00 to 15:30 from 1 to 3 January. Nagoya closes 29 December to 1 January.
Tokyo National Museum is open 09:30 to 17:00, with last entry 30 minutes before closing. Its sword room, admission fee and closed days are not found. The Samurai Museum in Tokyo has English pages, but its current price and opening status are not found.