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Photo: 663highland, CC BY 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons
The former residence of the Asano clan. Unusually for Japan, Ako Castle was constructed in concentric rings of fortifications inspired by European star castles. The scale of the project was always excessive for what was even then a small town, and the money ran out before they got around to building the central keep (tenshu). The castle was torn down in 1873 by the Meiji government and all the buildings you see today are reconstructions from the 1950s or later.
Akō Castle is a former flatland Japanese castle located in the city of Akō, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. Built by the Asano clan in the Edo period, it was the center of Akō Domain in western Harima Province. Demolished in 1873 by the Meiji government, the castle was designated a National Historic Site in 1971, with the area under protection expanded in 2003. Within the castle grounds is the Nagayamon gate to the residence of Ōishi Kuranosuke, the karō of the domain under Asano Naganori. The house itself no longer exists, but its location has a separate National Historic Site designation. Both the Honmaru Garden and the Ni-no-Maru Gardens have been restored to an approximation of their appearance in the Edo period, and are collectively designated a National Place of Scenic Beauty in 2021.
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赤穂市立海洋科学館
Ako was historically a center of sea salt production. At this marine science museum, not only will you learn everything you wanted to know and then some about salt, but you can try your hand at making your own from seawater. Salt-making is included in price of admission, reservations recommended but not mandatory.