When I was little, one of my favorite things to do during summer vacation was to take the Shinkansen from Hakata Station, where I lived, to my grandparents’ house in Hyogo Prefecture. The beautiful white castle that I always saw on the Shinkansen was Himeji Castle, also known as Shirasagi Castle. It is a World Heritage Site.
I’ve wished since I was in elementary school that I could go there someday, and now that I’m an adult, that dream has finally come true!
I am actually a history buff. When I was in elementary school, I used to look forward to visiting Kyoto and castles during summer vacation. I was finally able to visit the Shirasagi Castle that I had been longing to see.
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Himeji Castle
- 68 Motomachi Himeji, Hyogo
- +81792851146
- 9am – 4pm
- https://www.city.himeji.lg.jp/castle/index.html
Access
It is an 18-minute walk (about 1.3 km) from JR Himeji Station. JR Himeji Station is a big station for bullet trains to stop. There are a lot of shops in the building, too.
When you exit JR Himeji Station, you can see Himeji Castle directly in front of you, so there is no way to get lost. You can go straight down the main street or walk along Miyuki-dori shopping street, which has a roof. There is also a restaurant called “Yamayogi” off Miyuki-dori shopping street, which is famous for its conger eel.
Admission Fee
Admission to Himeji Castle is charged. The admission fee for Himeji Castle alone is 1,000 yen, and a set of admission tickets for the neighboring garden “Himeji Garden” is 1,040 yen, so the set ticket is a good deal. Isn’t this a strange pricing scheme? The set ticket is too cheap!
We didn’t hesitate to buy a set of tickets! We didn’t have high expectations for “Koko-En”, but the autumn leaves were even more beautiful and the atmosphere was even better than we expected. We didn’t have enough time. I highly recommend that you visit “Koko-En”. This is a hidden gem.
Himeji Castle Tour
We visited on a weekday in mid-November, so there was no waiting time to visit the castle tower, but signs like the one above mean that there will be a waiting time on holidays, etc. Visiting the castle tower is strictly shoes-only. Himeji Castle is made of wood. Especially in winter, it is recommended to wear socks because the floor gets cold.
To go up one floor, we climbed up the stairs. Those stairs are steep! If you have bad knees, it might be hard for you.
And what was enshrined on the top floor of Himeji Castle was God! I was a little surprised.
From the top floor, you can see this spectacular view. I wonder if the former lords of the castle were thinking about their next move while looking at this view.
After visiting the castle tower, we walked around the surrounding gardens and the Nishinomaru area. The Nishinomaru was once the residence of Senhime, the granddaughter of Tokugawa Ieyasu. We were able to see the rooms where the maids used to sleep. It wasn’t fancy, but it was surprisingly interesting. It must have been cold in the winter if they lived in such a boarded-up place.
Required hours for Himeji Visit
It took an hour around the castle tower. It also took us an hour to go around the Nishinomaru area. The entrance to Himeji Castle closes at 16:00, so please allow plenty of time for your visit. We didn’t have enough time for the last part of the tour, which was the Yoshikoen Garden, so we had to rush around.
Overview
Himeji Castle, as expected of a World Heritage Site, is a sight to behold. I’ve been admiring it for over 30 years. Himeji Castle is beautiful to look at, but as you would expect, there are also a sword resting place and a lid on the stairs, so there was a lot to see inside as well. Here is some advice for those who are going to visit Himeji Castle!
- Dress warmly for a winter visit.
- It takes a long time, so start your visit early in the morning.
- The neighboring garden “Koko-En” is also beautiful and recommended.