Is Hiroshima Castle Open?

The main keep (tenshu) closed to the public on 22 March 2026 following concrete deterioration and aging equipment, and it has not reopened. Everything else at the site, the Honmaru grounds, the moats, the Ninomaru restored buildings, the museum shop and the Sannomaru area, remains open, and the castle's own page states that the grounds and moat areas are accessible 24 hours with no entry fee.

The castle, also known as Rijo (Carp Castle) after the carp in its moat, remains one of the central sights covered on the Hiroshima castle attraction page and a regular stop on a one-day Hiroshima itinerary. This page sets out exactly what is open, what is closed, what each part costs and when, based on what the castle's own information pages state.

Hiroshima Castle is partially open. The main keep (tenshu) closed to visitors on 22 March 2026 because of concrete deterioration and aging equipment, and the exterior of the keep can still be viewed at any time with no admission fee. The castle grounds and moat areas are open 24 hours, the Ninomaru restored buildings are open on seasonal hours with free admission, and the Sannomaru area, museum shop and moat cruise continue to operate.

That is the whole picture in one sentence: the building you cannot enter is the keep, and the site around it carries on as normal. The 1958 concrete keep operated as a museum for 68 years until its March 2026 closure, per the city's own history pages, so the closure is the end of a long run rather than a sudden event.

For visitors planning a first trip, the practical effect is smaller than the headline suggests. The castle's stone walls and moats survive from the original structure, and those, together with the grounds and the A-bomb scarred walls and Gokoku Shrine within the grounds, are what the site's open-air experience has always rested on. The keep was one interior among many.

What Can You Still See At Hiroshima Castle?

Visitors to Hiroshima Castle can still see the exterior of the keep from the grounds, the surviving original stone walls and moats, the Gokoku Shrine and A-bomb scarred walls in the grounds, the restored Ninomaru buildings with free admission, the Sannomaru commercial area, and the moat cruise boat on its operating days. The one thing no longer possible is entering the keep itself.

The keep exterior, per the castle's page, can be viewed at any time with no admission fee, and the Honmaru and moat areas allow free exterior viewing and walking around the clock.

The moat cruise is the most substantial ticketed activity on the site. Boarding is on the west side of the inner moat, a 2-minute walk north from the Sannomaru parking lot.

What Are The Hiroshima Castle Opening Hours And Prices?

The Ninomaru restored buildings at Hiroshima Castle are open 9:00 to 17:30 from April to September and 9:00 to 16:30 from October to March, with last entry 30 minutes before closing and free admission, closing on 8 December and 29 to 31 December. The grounds are free and open 24 hours. The moat cruise charges 1,000 yen for high school age and older, 500 yen for elementary and junior high students, with preschool children free.

The museum shop runs slightly shorter hours than the Ninomaru buildings: 9:30 to 17:00 from April to September and 9:30 to 16:00 from October to March. The castle page notes an extension to 19:30 on 25 and 26 September for the shop, which is worth knowing if you are in Hiroshima in late September.

The moat cruise fare rises in peak periods to 1,300 yen for high school age and older and 600 yen for elementary and junior high students, per the castle's fare page. One preschool child rides free per adult, with additional preschool children at the child rate.

Nearby, Shukkeien garden makes a natural pairing with the castle on the same day: admission is 350 yen for adults, 150 yen for university students and free for elementary to high school students, open 9:00 to 18:00 from 16 March to 15 September and 9:00 to 17:00 from 16 September to 15 March, with last entry 30 minutes before closing.

Can You Go To Hiroshima Castle At Night?

Yes, in one specific sense. The Hiroshima Castle grounds and moat areas, including the Honmaru, are accessible 24 hours a day with no entry fee, so the exterior of the keep and the stone walls can be seen at night. The Ninomaru buildings, the museum shop and the moat cruise are not, as they keep daytime hours, and the keep interior is closed entirely.

This 24-hour access is stated plainly by the castle's own page for the grounds and moat areas.

What you should not expect is a lit, staffed night attraction. A night visit is a quiet self-guided walk, not a programmed event.

Why Did The Hiroshima Castle Keep Close?

The keep of Hiroshima Castle closed on 22 March 2026 due to concrete deterioration and aging equipment, per the castle's official page, after operating as a museum for 68 years in its 1958 concrete form. The city's pages report that detailed surveys for the keep's restoration or reconstruction are expected to continue until around fiscal year 2030, and a new Sannomaru history museum is planned for 1 June 2027.

The keep that closed was a 1958 concrete reconstruction, not a survivor of the original castle. The original was constructed starting in 1589 by Mori Terumoto as a typical flatland castle on the delta at the mouth of the Ota River, and what survives from the earliest period on site today are the stone walls and moats.

The planned Sannomaru history museum will inherit the collections from the closed keep, per the city's own pages, which is why the closure of the keep does not mean the disappearance of the castle's museum function. The museum's arrival date is a planned one and the city describes it that way itself.

How Do You Get To Hiroshima Castle?

From Hiroshima Station, take the Hiroden tram on line 1, 2 or 6 to Kamiyacho-higashi or Kamiyacho-nishi, then walk about 15 minutes north to Hiroshima Castle. The castle's address is 21-1 Motomachi, Naka-ku, Hiroshima City, and the Sannomaru parking lot has 67 spaces at 210 yen per 30 minutes.

The Hiroden flat fare is 240 yen for adults and 120 yen for children on all lines, a citywide price that has applied since 1 February 2025, so the tram leg to Kamiyacho costs the standard fare. A Hiroden 1-Day Streetcar Pass at 700 yen for adults covers unlimited rides for a day and can pay off if the castle is one stop among several.

For anyone weighing the castle against the city's other sights, the is Hiroshima worth visiting answer page covers the broader case, and the how many days in Hiroshima is enough answer helps with pacing.

Visitors with a car should note the Sannomaru lot's 67 spaces and the 210 yen per 30 minute fee. Central Park bus parking near the castle accommodates up to 60 large buses for group arrivals.

How Does The Closed Keep Change A Visit?

The closed keep removes one interior museum from Hiroshima Castle, and nothing else. The closure concentrates the visit outdoors, which suits the site's strengths: the surviving stone walls and moats are original. The moat cruise's roughly 20-minute circuit of the inner moat, at 1,000 yen for adults, is the one paid activity on site now that the keep is shut.

Visitors who want a deeper history stop in Hiroshima can pair the castle grounds with the Peace Memorial Park and the Peace Memorial Museum, whose adult admission is 200 yen with free entry for junior high school students and younger. The museum's hours run 7:30 to 19:00 from March to July and September to November, 7:30 to 20:00 in August, and 7:30 to 18:00 from December to February, per its own information page.

For a day built around food and drink rather than castles, the Saijo sake brewery street and Kure full day all-inclusive tour pairs Hiroshima's sake district with the port city of Kure, and Check availability covers live dates and pricing.

The wider question of what else the city holds, from Miyajima to Okonomimura, is laid out on the Hiroshima Travel Guide homepage and the things to do in Hiroshima round-up, where the castle appears alongside the Peace Park, Shukkeien and the day-trip destinations of Iwakuni, Onomichi and the Shimanami Kaido.

Common Questions About Hiroshima Castle

Is Hiroshima Castle Open?

Hiroshima Castle is partially open. The main keep closed to visitors on 22 March 2026, but the grounds and moats are free and open 24 hours, the Ninomaru restored buildings admit visitors free on seasonal hours, and the moat cruise runs on weekends, holidays and select days. Only the keep interior is off limits.

Can You Go To Hiroshima Castle At Night?

Yes, the castle grounds and moat areas are accessible 24 hours with no entry fee, so the keep exterior and stone walls can be seen at night. The Ninomaru buildings, museum shop and moat cruise keep daytime hours only, so a night visit is a self-guided outdoor walk.

How Much Does Hiroshima Castle Cost?

The castle grounds, moats and Ninomaru restored buildings are free. The moat cruise charges 1,000 yen for high school age and older and 500 yen for elementary and junior high students, rising to 1,300 yen and 600 yen in peak periods, with one preschool child free per adult.

When Is The New Hiroshima Castle Museum Opening?

A Sannomaru history museum at Hiroshima Castle is planned for 1 June 2027, and it will inherit the collections from the closed keep, per the city's pages. Surveys on the keep's restoration or reconstruction are expected to continue until around fiscal year 2030.

Can You Still Ride The Hiroshima Castle Moat Boat?

Yes. The moat cruise operates on weekends, holidays, spring break and select other days, departing roughly 9:50 to 15:40 for a 20-minute circuit of the inner moat. Boarding is on the west side of the inner moat, a 2-minute walk north from the Sannomaru parking lot.

A visit built around the grounds, the Ninomaru buildings and the moat boat still fills a morning in central Hiroshima comfortably.