Himeji – Home of Japan’s Best Castle
Himeji is a small city located on Japan’s largest island, Honshu. It is most famous for Himeji Castle, largely regarded as the most beautiful castle in all of Japan.
While the castle is the main attraction of the city, there are a few other things to see and do in Himeji. One or two days is enough time here, and being only 15 minutes by high-speed rail from Kobe, or about 30 minutes from Osaka, Himeji makes for an excellent day trip to a quieter part of Japan.
Things to do in Himeji
- Himeji Castle
- Koko-en Garden
- Himeji Castle Moat
- Harima-no-Kuni Sosha Shrine
- Pastel Omizo Shopping Street
Himeji Castle
The biggest and best place to visit in Himeji is of course Himeji Castle. The castle is often called the “White Heron Castle” due to the bright white main keep. The castle has stood for almost 700 years, avoiding major damage from bombing in World War 2 and earthquakes. It is the largest castle in Japan, so there is a lot to see here.
If you pick up a map at the entrance you’ll see various routes to take around the castle. I recommend taking the longest one (about 2 hours depending on how much you read, stopping for pictures, crowds). It first takes you through the main gate where you get a great view of the white keep.
From there you can head up some stairs and enter the living quarters. This long narrow building contains various rooms and artefacts, as well as information about the history of the castle. You can see where Princess Sen’s living quarters were.
After there the route takes you into the main keep, starting in the dark basement level. There are then six floors to explore, with each offering views across the castle grounds.
The sixth floor hosts a small shrine, then on the way down you can see the weapons storage area and a model of how the city used to look.
After leaving the keep you enter a courtyard where you can take great close-up photos of the white building.
After there, the route leads through the castle gardens and back to the main entrance.
Outside the main structure but still within the wider castle walls (a free park area) is a great place to take photos of the castle. If you come back at night you can also see it light up.
It’s possible to buy a combined ticket for the castle and the Koko-en Garden next door, which is also worth visiting.
Koko-en Garden
The Koko-en Garden is located next to Himeji Castle and features separate walled gardens, each with a different style from the Edo Period. The garden is relatively new compared to its surroundings, having opened in 1992. I visited in winter so there obviously wasn’t much life to see, but it was still pleasant to walk around. It would definitely be better to visit in spring or summer when more plants and flowers are in bloom.
Inside you can see examples of bonsai, a carp pond, a small bamboo forest, and various other plants and styles of gardens.
As it was winter and there wasn’t a whole lot to see at that time of year, I decided to try the matcha tea ceremony at the teahouse there. This was my first time trying this in Japan. I was given a large cup of matcha tea and a traditional Japanese sweet. The head of the teahouse sat and chatted to me while I ate. It was a fun experience and worth trying if you have the time in Himeji.
Himeji Castle Moat
Surrounding Himeji Castle is of course the moat. The moat and surrounding park make for a pleasant walk around the castle, offering different views and photo opportunities.
On the north side you can find the Himeji and Sun’o shrines. These were interesting to see but eerily abandoned when I visited.
Harima-no-Kuni Sosha Shrine
An interesting shrine to visit in Himeji is the Harima-no-Kuni Sosha Shrine. You can enter through the large red gate on the west side, or through the old wooden gate on the south side.
Inside there are lots of red torii gates and smaller shrines.
When I visited there were lots of lanterns hanging in the main courtyard.
Pastel Omizo Shopping Street
If you’re looking to do some shopping in Himeji then Pastel Omizo Shopping Street is the place to go. This covered shopping area has lots of tourist shops, arcades and capsule places, restaurants, and cafes.
It also links to nearby shopping malls, an underground mall, and the mall at Himeji station.
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