Himeji Castle, Japan
Himeji Castle is the largest and arguably most visually-stunning castle in Japan. A must visit if you’re traveling through the Kansai region. We decided to visit as a half-day stopover as we traveled between Okayama and Kyoto on our 21 day trip of Japan.
Leaving Okayama by Shinkansen at around 9:30 in the morning, we arrived in Himeji just after 10am. On arrival at Himeji station, we stored our carry-on size suitcases in a couple of coin lockers and made our way to the castle.
Hot tip: When you’re trying to maximise your time, and don’t want to commit a full 24 hours to a certain location, Japan’s train network makes it easy to use a travel day to squeeze in an extra location on your route. There are coin lockers in all the stations so it’s easy to store your bag and explore a place when you are between hotels. A couple of times when we planned to use coin lockers we couldn’t find one spare, and both times there was a back-up luggage storage service available.
As soon as you step outside of Himeji station, you’ll see the castle in the distance, dominating the horizon with its six-storey main keep rising above the town of Himeji.
From the station, it’s an easy and flat 15-minute walk to the entrance of the castle grounds. As you approach the castle, you can’t fail to be impressed by its beauty, but make sure you also look down as you walk, to admire the beautiful castle and heron-themed manhole covers along the way.
Dating back to 1333, Himeji Castle has undergone significant renovations and additions throughout its 700-year history. Despite this, it has remained intact, even in the face of natural disasters and the bombing of Himeji city in WWII. It’s an excellent example of Japanese Castle architecture and has been registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site since the early nineties.
After entering the castle grounds, we made our way to the long hall where we were required to remove our shoes. Himeji Castle has a storied past which is well told by the exhibits as you walk through the long hall. I was especially captivated by the enduring stories of Princess Sen. Born into the illustrious Honda clan, Princess Sen’s life was marked by love, tragedy and resilience. In the early 17th century, she became the wife of the warlord Toyotomi Hideyori, and after his death, later married Ikeda Tadatoki, a daimyo: one of the great lords who were vassals of the shogun. As you walk through the long hall, you can wander through rooms off the corridor which housed the maids of Princess Sen.
After leaving the long hall, we made our way to the main keep. The walled path leading to the keep has several baileys and gates designed to impede attackers. The main keep of the castle has six storeys, with a set of steep, narrow stairs between each level. I couldn’t help wondering how soldiers were expected to get up and down these stairs in a hurry if the castle needed to be defended, although this was never required, because in its 700-year history, Himeji Castle never came under direct attack.
As you ascend, the castle floors of course become smaller and smaller. Most levels are relatively bare and unfurnished. Wandering through, you can see various defence mechanisms to be used in a siege situation, including archer’s holes, and shoots where boiling water, rocks or oil could be poured on invaders. Upon reaching the smallest, top floor, you can enjoy expansive views over the castle grounds, Koko-en gardens and the city of Himeji itself.
After exploring the castle, we visited the beautiful Koko-en Garden which is adjacent to the castle grounds. A collection of nine unique and very well-maintained Japanese-style gardens. It’s a beautiful area to stroll through and experience the various elements of Japanese garden design.
We visited Himeji Castle on a Wednesday in October, and despite this being Japan’s most visited castle, we found the crowds fairly light for Japan. I can only imagine how busy it would be during the springtime. The castle is a popular site for cherry blossom viewing, with more than 1,000 cherry trees inside the grounds. While it would be stunning to go at this time of year and see the vibrant pink cherry blossoms contrasting with the brilliant white of the castle walls, I did enjoy the lack of crowds! Before you visit, make sure you go to the Himeji castle website, which has a helpful congestion forecast to help you avoid the crowds.
You don’t need to spend too long in Himeji. After arriving at 10am, we walked through the castle and the gardens, and were back on the 3.11pm Shinkansen to Kyoto. A five hour stop was a perfect fit for our itinerary, although you may want to allow some more time if crowds are expected.
Admission:
Adults (castle only): 1,000 yen
Adults (castle & Koko-en Gardens): 1,050 yen
Hours: 9am – 5pm (last entry 4pm)
Official Website: https://www.himejicastle.jp/en/
