Goryōkaku Fort

Goryōkaku Fort

Sporting a European-style citadel instead of a more traditional Japanese design, Goryōkaku Fort was built 150 years ago in the shape of a five-pointed star. And the new design worked—the fort was one of the last refuges of shogunate holdouts who resisted the Meiji Restoration. Every spring, the 1,600 cherry trees around the fort bloom.