Takatori Castle Ruins

Takatori Castle Ruins sit on a 584-meter mountaintop in the Nara Prefecture countryside, where stone walls from a 14th-century fortress rise from the forest canopy. Once counted among Japan's three great mountain castles, the site was abandoned after the Meiji Restoration and nature has since moved in thoroughly, with large trees growing between ramparts and moss covering the old foundations. A 45-minute forest trail from Tsubosakayama Temple brings the ruins into view gradually. Autumn draws the most visitors, when red and gold foliage sets off the gray stone, but the site sees relatively few people in any season, which suits its atmosphere well.