After our too-short visit to Hiroshima, it was time to make our way to our next stop, Osaka. Along the way, we visited Himeji Castle. This is one of the most famous castles in Japan, and well worth a visit. The town of Himeji is right on the Shinkansen line, so is a very easy stopover.

Himeji Castle Grounds

After getting off the Shinkansen at the relatively small Himeji Station, we stored our luggage in some conveniently located lockers. Exiting the station, we found ourselves on the main street leading to Himeji Castle. You can easily see the castle from the station, and you just stay on the main road to get there, so you can’t get lost. After enough of a walk to stretch our legs after the morning’s train journey, we made it to the entrance to the Himeji Castle grounds.

Not too far inside the grounds we came across a large open area that is ideal for group pictures with the castle in the background.

As you keep moving towards the castle, you can see some nice views of the castle framed by outbuildings and walls.

Even the outbuildings show details that indicate this has been an important place through Japan’s history.

Inside Himeji Castle

After paying our entrance fee, we made it inside the inner castle walls. By this time we really had to crane our necks to look up at the castle.

Near the main castle building we saw a section of wall with the outer stucco removed, showing the rammed earth construction technique.

We entered the main castle building not knowing what to expect. It turned out that we were able to make our way all the way to the top of the castle, via staircases that became steeper and steeper as we got higher up. The light wasn’t good for photos inside the castle, but I did manage to get a shot of an ornate storage compartment on one of the levels.

The view from the castle got progressively better as we climbed to the higher levels. It was quite a workout climbing all the way to the top level. However, it was worth it to see the interior construction of the castle and for the views.

After exiting the main castle building, we passed through an interior courtyard that provided a great perspective on how big Himeji Castle is.

The castle alone is worth a stopover in Himeji, but if you have enough time there are other things to see around town. There is a sightseeing bus that makes a loop stopping at Himeji Station and the major sights.

Kokoen Garden

We had time to get to one of the other major sights in Himeji, Kokoen Garden. This place is only a few minutes walk from Himeji Castle, so is an easy addition to a castle visit. Kokoen is actually a series of different themed areas, showcasing a number of different Japanese garden styles.

There are places in the gardens where the castle can be seen in the background. Some of the gardens have been artfully arranged to incorporate castle views into their design.

Leaving Himeji

After we had seen most of Kokoen Garden, it was time to continue our journey to Osaka. We caught the sightseeing loop bus back to Himeji Station, looking forward to getting back on the train to rest our legs.

Himeji had one more surprise in store for us, when we came across Princess Shiromaru (Himeji Castle’s mascot). We had “met” her in an augmented reality tour on our cellphones at the castle, but it was fun to see her in real life just before we left Himeji.