southers' Trip Diary: Day Trip to Himeji Castle, Japan

Himeji Castle is the largest castle and one of the three most important castles in Japan. If you are in Osaka, Kobe or Kyoto, you must take a day trip to Himeji Castle. With nearly a million visitors a year, it is wise to be early in the morning to visit Himeji Castle. Himeji Castle is definitely one of the highlights of my recent 14-day trip to Japan. This is a unique building. Join me for a day trip to Himeji Castle!

Himeji Castle can be reached by taking the Shinkansen high-speed train from Kyoto (about one hour) or Osaka (about half an hour). If you have a Japan Rail Pass, this is the best option because you don't have to pay any extra fees. I don't have a Japan Rail Pass, so I took the JR Express train and used the JR Pass in the Kansai area. It takes 90 minutes to start from Kyoto or 60 minutes from Osaka. It takes about 4 hours to visit Himeji Castle itself, and you must arrive in the morning to get tickets that may be sold out that day. After arriving at Himeji Train Station, you can walk to the castle 1 km along the main avenue. If you come out of the train station, you will see the castle far from the city! You can't miss it.

The history of Himeji Castle dates back to 1333, when the first fort was built on the top of Jishan Mountain. The first small fortress did not last long, and a new castle called Himeyama Castle was built in 1346. Two centuries later, Himeji Castle replaced Himeyama Castle. In the late 16th and 17th centuries, Himeji Castle was expanded and transformed into its current shape. Himeji City was severely bombed during the Second World War, but Himeji Castle was unexpectedly spared. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1993 and was extensively refurbished in 2015.
Himeji Castle is about 900 meters long and 1,700 meters long. There are 83 connected buildings on these sites. The center has a main height of 46.4 meters and is built around two pillars containing six floors. There are mainly three smaller holds. Other buildings include walls, gates, turrets and corridors.

Himeji Castle had an advanced defense system at the time. The defense system consists of holes from shooting and windows that fall from the stone to throw stones and oil from the attacker. The complex originally had three moats to prevent the attacker from leaving the inner two parts. Maze-like roads, passages and corridors make it difficult for attackers to find the way to the main road. In the case of an attack, Himeji Castle has rice storage, salt storage, freshwater wells and other supplies. This is definitely a difficult place to conquer!

It is best to enter Himeji Castle through the Otemon Gate. The main square is just behind it, from where you can take a complete picture of the castle, including some of the surrounding buildings (see panorama above).

Tickets can be purchased at the ticket counter on the left, but remember that they can time tickets. It is recommended to buy a ticket first and then take a photo in front of the castle. After entering, first enter the main reservation of the castle. You will pass through some corridors until you reach the main foundation. Here you can see a fence stone called the old widow stone. When Himeji Castle was built, there was a lack of stone, and an old woman gave her a millstone to help build the castle. Many others subsequently donated stones and speeded up the construction process.

Mainly kept quite empty, but did climb to six floors. You will see many loopholes, huge doors and internal wood structures. Once you reach the top, you can enjoy the magnificent view of Himeji. Now down, walk in the gardens of Himeji Castle and take some great photos. If you take the time, the visit takes about 4 hours.

Lastly, English is not my mother tongue. Possibly, I might make a lot of errors here. If you find out, please feel free to let me know. It will be very helpful for me to improve my English