Himeji walking tour & city guide

Walking up to the castle

From Himeji Station, the wide Otemae-dori avenue runs straight to the castle, which is visible the whole way. Inside the grounds, a maze of gates, walls and narrow paths was designed to confuse attackers before they reached the six-storey main keep. Climbing its steep wooden stairs, you pass weapon racks and loopholes to a top floor with views over the city.

In early April, around a thousand cherry trees bloom around the moats and in the castle park, one of the most famous cherry blossom scenes in Japan.

Gardens and a mountain temple

Kokoen, beside the castle's west moat, is a collection of nine walled Edo-style gardens with ponds, a bamboo grove and a tea house. The covered Miyukidori arcade, parallel to Otemae-dori, is the place for shopping and a meal on the way back to the station.

On Mount Shosha, north-west of the city and reached by ropeway, the Engyoji temple complex has large wooden halls among the forest, quiet and atmospheric in the early morning; its halls appeared in the film The Last Samurai.

Visiting tips

Himeji is about 30 minutes from Shin-Osaka by Shinkansen and about 1 hour from Kyoto, so it fits easily in a day. Arrive early, especially in cherry blossom season and on weekends, as entry to the keep can involve a long queue. Wear shoes that are easy to remove: you walk inside the keep in socks or slippers.