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This Edo castle is more of a palace type castle than a typical castle by itself; the castle was conceptualized in the beginning of the seventeenth century.The precursor to the castle was built by Ooota Doukan in the middle of fifteenth century but it was only in 1590 that the castle underwent a major expansion after being captured by Tokugawa Ieyasu.Tokugawa Ieyasu took the reins of the castle from the Uesugi clan and transformed Edo(present day Tokyo) to one of the major towns in Japan if not the most central and important town.The castle also transformed itself to one of the most important castles of the time till tragedy struck in the middle of sixteenth century which destroyed important portions of the castle including the all important castle tower, which was once the tallest tower in the history of castles in Japan. The beautiful castle had to suffer further damages in the hands of the American forces during the Second World War. The stone walled moats of the castle are the only original remains of the castle along with the foundation of the castle tower, a happy reminder of the glory that it once enjoyed.Gardens have been created in places of the buildings that once stood in the glorious days of the castle. The castle grounds also house a large palace which is unfortunately out of bounds for the general public.The general public can check out the other places of the castle on all days except Mondays, Fridays and other special occasions absolutely free of cost. How to get to the Edo castle The Edo castle is easily accessible from the Tokyo station as it takes only a few minutes by walking. Tokyo being one of the most important cities of Japan is easily accessible and has a domestic and an international airport to cater to the huge number of tourists entering the city every year. The city is also connected with the rest of the island by super fast trains called Shinkansen which are operated by the Japan Railways. To move in and around the city one can avail of the dense train and bus network which is operated by a number of companies.
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