OK, hands up, Tokyo Samurai Museum isn’t a castle. Having visited it is essential to understanding the differences between Japanese and European castles as well as styles of fighting.
Visiting
The museum is easy to reach from central Tokyo and is a few minutes walk from the Seibu Shinjuku station. Allow an hour for the tour and then some free time after. You have to do the tour but it is definitely worth it and plenty of them are in English so you may have a short wait.
My Experience
Tokyo Samurai Museum was excellent – original armour and weapons from the sixteenth century to 19th including armour they had used to test against muskets. The guide was very knowledgable and after the tour (in English) we had the option of trying on various pieces of replica armour. The Samurai was a very different warrior type to the normal Western feudal soldier and the museum gives a good account of this way of life and fighting.
I’m not sure that there is any western equivalent, even the warrior monks of the Crusading orders didn’t match the codes required for a samurai. The museum also offers sword fighting and calligraphy displays for those with a more in depth interest.
Photo Gallery
History
References
The museum website is here.