Hirado Castle

First built in the 16th century and destroyed and rebuilt several times before the current structure was completed in 1718. The white tenshu, or main keep, sits on a hill above Hirado's harbor, and from the upper floors you can see across the Hirado Strait toward the islands to the west. The castle town below has a long history as one of Japan's earliest international trading ports, where Dutch and English merchants operated alongside Chinese traders in the 17th century. The castle museum inside covers this period in detail. The short climb up from the town to the entrance takes about 10 minutes.