Survey date: April 11, 2023
Fukuyama Castle Park is located in the center of Fukuyama City, just north of JR Fukuyama Station.
You may have an impression of the castle tower of Fukuyama Castle because you can see it from the station platform.
Fukuyama Castle Park is not only the castle keep, but also the area that used to be the Honmaru and Ninomaru of Fukuyama Castle, which has been developed into a park.
The grounds of Fukuyama Castle Park are large, and in addition to the castle-related historical sites such as the castle tower and turrets, there are various cultural facilities such as art galleries and museums, tennis courts, and shrines.
For this reason, the area around Fukuyama Castle Park is also called a “cultural zone.
In 2022, the castle keep of Fukuyama Castle was extensively renovated to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the castle’s construction.
The following is information on coin-operated lockers in Fukuyama Castle Park.
Three coin lockers in Fukuyama Castle Park
There are various facilities on the grounds of Fukuyama Castle Park, but coin lockers are available at the following three facilities.
- Fukuyama Castle Museum (Fukuyama Castle Keep), Fukuyama Castle Keep Plaza (Honmaru)
- Fukuyama Kusado-Senken Museum, Hiroshima Prefectural Museum
- Fukuyama Art Museum, Fukuyama Calligraphy Museum
Let’s look at them one by one.
Fukuyama Castle Museum (Fukuyama Castle Tensho) and Fukuyama Castle Tensho Hiroba (Honmaru)
The “Fukuyama Castle Museum” is the castle keep of Fukuyama Castle.
A large part of the Honmaru area where the Fukuyama Castle Keep is located has been developed into a plaza in front of the castle keep.
Fukuyama Castle Park was destroyed by air raids during the Pacific War, and many of the buildings, including the castle keep, were destroyed by fire.
It was later rebuilt in 1966 (Showa 41) in reinforced concrete, and the interior was turned into a history museum.
In 2022, a major renovation called the “2022 Grand Fuchin” was undertaken to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Fukuyama Castle’s construction.
Until then, the exterior of Fukuyama Castle’s keep had been different from the appearance it had before it was destroyed by fire.
The “Great Fubuchin of 2022” restored the exterior to almost the same appearance as before the fire.
The Fukuyama Castle Museum inside has also been renovated to make it more enjoyable.
In Fukuyama Castle Park (Fukuyama Castle Keep), coin-operated lockers are available.
They are located in a small building on the right side of the castle tower.
Toilet are in the front, along with the office and entrance ticket booth.
The coin lockers are located near the wall between the restrooms and the office/ticket booth.
Therefore, they can be used even if you do not enter the Fukuyama Castle Museum.
The types, fees, and number of coin lockers at Fukuyama Castle Museum are as follows.
- Medium 100 yen: 4 pieces
- Large 100 yen: 6 pieces
The fee for both is 100 yen, which is returned after use.
It is virtually free to use, which is very helpful.
Payment is by cash only (100 yen coins only), and there are no exchange machines available.
Entrance tickets are sold at ticket vending machines, so if you are planning to visit Fukuyama Castle Museum and do not have 100 yen coins, it is recommended that you purchase an entrance ticket from a ticket vending machine first and get change.
Hiroshima Prefectural Museum of History Fukuyama Kusado-Senken Museum
The Hiroshima Prefectural Museum Fukuyama Kusado-Senken Museum is located in the southwestern part of the grounds of Fukuyama Castle Park.
This history museum focuses on exhibits related to the remains of Kusado-Senken, a town that flourished in the Middle Ages but is said to have disappeared due to flooding, which was discovered on a sandbank of the Ashida River that flows through Fukuyama City.
Coin-operated lockers are also available at the Kusado-Senken Museum.
When you pass through the entrance, you will see the reception desk on your left, but please go in the opposite direction, to the right as you look from the entrance.
Then you will see a store on your right.
The space diagonally opposite the store, at the bottom of the stairs to the second floor, is where the coin lockers are located.
The types, fees, and number of coin lockers at the Hiroshima Prefectural Museum Fukuyama Kusado-Senken Museum are as follows
- Small 100yen：40pcs
- Medium 100yen：8pcs
- Large 100yen：6pcs
The fee for both is 100 yen, which will be returned after use.
The good news is that there is practically no charge for using the machines.
Payment is by cash only (100 yen coins only), and there are no exchange machines available.
If you do not have 100 yen coins on hand and wish to visit the Kusado-Senken Museum, please pay the admission fee at the reception desk first and get the change.
Fukuyama Art Museum, Fukuyama Calligraphy Museum
The Fukuyama Museum of Art and the Fukuyama Calligraphy Museum are located in the western part of the grounds of Fukuyama Castle Park, north of the Fukuyama Kusado-Senken Museum, Hiroshima Prefectural Museum of History.
The Fukuyama Museum of Art is on the first floor, and the Fukuyama Calligraphy Museum is on the second floor.
Coin-operated lockers are located in the Fukuyama Museum of Art on the first floor.
After passing through the entrance, turn left immediately.
Turn left and on the left side of the direction of travel, there is a space for coin lockers.
The types, fees, and number of coin-operated lockers at Fukuyama Museum of Art are as follows.
- Small 100 yen: 10 pieces
- Medium 100 yen: 24 pieces
The fee of 100 yen is returned after use.
It is nice that it is virtually free.
Payment is by cash only (100 yen coins only).
There are no exchange machines available.
If you do not have 100-yen coins on hand and wish to visit the Fukuyama Museum of Art and the Fukuyama Calligraphy Museum, pay the admission fee at the reception desk first and get the change.
Notes on using coin lockers at Fukuyama Castle Park
The following is a list of things to keep in mind when using coin lockers at Fukuyama Castle Park.
Fukuyama Castle Museum (Fukuyama Castle Tensho) and Fukuyama Castle Tensho Hiroba (Honmaru)
The coin lockers at the Fukuyama Castle Museum (Fukuyama Castle Keep) are located outside and can be used even when the Fukuyama Castle Museum is closed.
However, the square in front of the castle keep where the Fukuyama Castle Museum is located is open from 6:00 to 22:00.
Please note that the gates are closed at all other times, so you will not be able to load or unload your luggage from the coin lockers.
The Fukuyama Castle Museum is closed on Mondays (if Monday is a national holiday, the museum will be open on Monday and closed on the following weekday), but the plaza in front of the castle tower is open as usual on closed days, so coin lockers can still be used.
Hiroshima Prefectural Museum Fukuyama Kusado-Senken Museum
Coin-operated lockers at the Hiroshima Prefectural Museum Fukuyama Kusado-Senken Museum can only be used on the same day.
Please load and unload your luggage during the opening hours of the Museum.
The Museum is open from 9:00 to 17:00 (admission by 16:30).
The museum is closed on Mondays, but if the Monday is a national holiday, the museum is open and closed on the following weekday.
The museum may be closed temporarily.
If there are items in the coin lockers after the library closes, they will be kept in the office.
Please note that if you do not contact the police for more than one month, the matter will be reported to the Fukuyama Higashi Police Station.
Fukuyama Art Museum, Fukuyama Calligraphy Museum
Coin-operated lockers at Fukuyama Museum of Art can only be used on the same day.
Therefore, please load and unload your luggage while the Fukuyama Museum of Art is open.
The Fukuyama Museum of Art is open from 9:30 to 17:00.
The museum is closed on Mondays. If Monday is a national holiday, the museum will be open on Monday and closed the following weekday.
Use of coin lockers at JR Fukuyama Station is also recommended.
JR Fukuyama Station is located adjacent to the immediate south of Fukuyama Castle Park.
Therefore, we recommend using the coin lockers at Fukuyama Station.
Among them, the coin lockers located outside the station building at the north exit are easy to use from Fukuyama Castle Park.
Incidentally, Fukuyama Station is located on the site of the inner moat that once existed between the Ninomaru and Minomaru sections of Fukuyama Castle.
Therefore, Fukuyama Station is actually part of Fukuyama Castle.
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