Half-Day Trip to Himeji Castle

MORE JAPAN TRAVEL:
HOW TO SPEND 10 DAYS IN JAPAN | TOKYO | HAKONE | KYOTO | NARA | KOBE | OSAKA | SENDAI | MATSUSHIMA

Himeji Castle

Himeji’s “White Heron” Castle is your prototypical architectural beauty, a snowy white-sided fortress with feudal roots and a complex worthy of a half day of exploration.

Himeji’s relative proximity to Kyoto makes this an easy day trip. You’ll arrive into the Himeji station, where you can ditch bags in a locker, and walk the mile over the city’s surface streets to Himeji Park. We arrived before the complex opened at 9am and strolled through the adjacent Peony Garden before purchasing tickets. A combo ticket offered admission to the Koko-en Garden. If you’ve yet to explore a traditional Japanese garden, it’s well worth the time.

As you converge through the exterior gates and wind through baileys, you’ll notice something right away: It’s impossible to take a bad picture of this castle. Photogenic and resplendent in white, the towers of Himeji snatch at the eye from every angle as you walk beneath its shadow.

Inside the complex, you’ll shed your shoes into provided bags and ascend six stories inside the keep. The bare-bones interior ushers you up narrow ladders and past restored defensive features, plus plenty of English signs describing its construction and restoration. At the top, you can peak out the windows onto the roofs at the fish-shaped talismans, believed to protect the structure from fire.

Back outside, you’ll be able to snap some pics from an especially flattering angle in the bailey. On the complex’s flank are additional towers and corridors you can explore, but miss-able if you are pressed for time. We spent two hours to see it all.

Check the official website’s annual congestion forecast for a better idea of crowd size. Even on a spring Saturday, we had no trouble because of our early morning start. Enjoy, and remember: It’s your big chance to use this relevant emoji! 🏯

Koko-en Garden

If you have time to extend your stay in Himeji and bought the combo ticket, Koko-en Garden is just around the corner. The themed sections are stunning, and a great way to get acquainted with traditional Japanese garden layouts. Part of the castle complex is visible just over the garden’s main bridge.

What’s next after Himeji Castle? On a previous trip, our next stop was Hiroshima. But this time, we hopped on a quick JR line to Kobe. You can read about the second half of our day here.

MORE JAPAN TRAVEL:
HOW TO SPEND 10 DAYS IN JAPAN | TOKYO | HAKONE | KYOTO | NARA | KOBE | OSAKA | SENDAI | MATSUSHIMA