Odawara Castle: Tickets, Hours and How to Get There from Tokyo

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Researched guide · Checked on Oct 21, 2026

Odawara Castle was the power base of the Hojo clan, who expanded their power across the Kanto region for about a hundred years until 1590. Today its white keep, rebuilt in 1960, stands in a park a 10-minute walk from Odawara Station, with a museum inside and a view over Sagami Bay from the top. It makes an easy stop on the way to or from Hakone.

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Klook sells an e-ticket for the keep and the SAMURAI Hall, valid for 180 days. It cannot be cancelled once bought.

A Sengoku-era stronghold

According to the castle’s official history, Ise Sozui (Hojo Soun) moved into Odawara around 1500, and five generations of the Hojo family expanded their power across the Kanto region from here. To prepare for Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s attack, the castle and town were surrounded by outer defenses about 9 km long. Hideyoshi’s siege in 1590 ended the Hojo clan and, with it, Japan’s Warring States period.

In the Edo period the castle guarded the eastern approach to the Hakone checkpoint on the Tokaido road. It was abandoned in 1870, and the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake destroyed most of what was left. The keep was rebuilt in 1960, followed by the Tokiwagi Gate (1971), the Akagane Gate (1997) and the Umadashi Gate (2009). The site is a national historic site.

Inside the keep

• The keep is a reinforced concrete reconstruction of its Edo-period exterior, based on a model and plans made when it was rebuilt in the 1700s. It stands 38.7 m tall.
• Inside are armor, swords, maps and documents on the Hojo clan and the castle in the Edo period, plus a recreated shrine room from the top floor of the original keep. Some exhibits change through the year.
• The top floor is about 60 m above sea level and looks out over Sagami Bay. On a very clear day you can see as far as the Boso Peninsula.

Tickets and opening hours

Facility	Adults (high school and over)	Elementary and junior high	Hours
Keep (includes SAMURAI Hall)	¥1,000	¥300	9:00–17:00 (last entry 16:30)
Tokiwagi Gate SAMURAI Hall only	¥300	¥100	9:00–17:00 (last entry 16:45)
NINJA Hall (History Hall)	¥500	¥200	9:00–17:00 (last entry 16:30)

• Preschool children enter free.
• Buy tickets at each facility. Keep tickets are also sold at the Odawara Tourist Exchange Center.
• The keep is closed December 31, January 1 and the second Wednesday of December. The other halls close December 31 and January 1.
• Visitors with a disability certificate (or the Mirairo ID app) enter free with one companion.

Samurai armor experience

At the Tokiwagi Gate in the main enclosure you can try on a suit of samurai armor for ¥500. It runs from 9:30 to 16:00 (last rental 15:30) and is closed December 31 and January 1.

Getting there

• Walk about 10 minutes from Odawara Station. The north entrance is closest to the station and lets you reach the main enclosure without stairs.
• From Shinjuku, the Odakyu Romancecar runs to Odawara in about 70 to 75 minutes. It needs a limited express ticket (¥1,000 for adults from Shinjuku) on top of the regular fare, or ride slower Odakyu trains on the regular fare only. See our Hakone day trip for the Hakone Freepass, which includes the round trip from Shinjuku to Odawara.
• Odawara Station is also on JR lines, including the Tokaido Shinkansen.
• There is no general car park in the castle park, and roads are busy on weekends and holidays. Use public transport, or see our driving in Japan guide.

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