Sitting prominently on the hillside above the Beppu Seven Hells, this castle was rebuilt in the 1950s to replicate its original design, which stood there several centuries earlier. It provides visitors with the most stunning view of the city, sea, and Shikoku beyond (hint: ascend to the top most floor and step out the window onto the balcony for even better 360-degree views).

The interiors are unlike any other castle in Japan, with furnishings, shrines, taxidermy, vintage artworks, kyudo bows and arrows, and more. You might even be invited to meet the castle’s protector: an albino python.