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Zeze Castle Ruins Park
A relaxing evening, sitting on a bench and watching the sun set can be had in Zeze Castle Ruins Park in Ōtsu-shi. Although the castle is no longer on the site, this is still one of the Shiga Prefecture’s most popular places to view the flowers in the cherry blossom season.
The Zeze Castle was designed and built by Todo Takatora, a famous local architect. He was hired by Tokugawa Ieyasu to build a unique castle on the Zeze site. The castle was so beautiful that there were many songs written about it at the time when it was still standing. The castle was abandoned and later torn down during the Meiji Restoration. At that time the inner citadel was converted into the park as it can be seen today. The castle gate remains in tact, having been moved to Sasabe Shrine and Shinodzu (Shinsu) shrine.
The park is not as large as many others, but there are lots of cherry tree blossoms, or sakura as the Japanese call the flowers. The locals happily take time out to celebrate spring, and the viewing of the cherry blossoms, which is called hanami.
This is a terrific park for families, a tranquil stroll, or a nice bike ride, any time of the year. The spring blooms do make that the most spectacular time of year, but the cooler autumn days are a delight, too. The swings, slide and other children’s playground equipment make for a lovely day with the family.
You can approach the water to sit right on one of the rocks on the bank. Enjoy looking at the flowers, the landscaping and perhaps a duck will float by to say hello.