Himeji

Introduction

HC - the Castle

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Himeji is a city of approximately 500,000 inhabitants located an hour west of Osaka. The highlight of Himeji is Himeji castle, the most outstanding castle still standing in Japan.

Sights and Activities

The highlight of Himeji is Himeji castle, a Unesco World Heritage Site. Most tourists come to Himeji to view the castle as a day trip from Osaka, Kobe or Kyoto

Other popular sights in Himeji are:

• Hyogo prefectural museum of history displays information on Himeji castle and other castles in Japan. It also has shows information on the main periods of Japan history.
• Shoshazan Engyoi Temple complex built in 966 and is one of the filming locations of The Last Samurai. ^[1]
• Himeji city zoo, located near Himeji castle where you can see elephants, giraffes or spend some time at the petting zoo.

Events and Festivals

• Hanami is a traditional custom of enjoying the beauty of flowers. Himeji castle is home to many cherry blossom trees which makes it a very popular place for Japanese people to view cherry blossoms. Arrive early to find a comfortable spot to eat, drink and relax.
• Zenkoku Tako Age Matsuri, the national kite-flying festival, is held on January 18th in the Himeji park racetrack. People from all over Japan come to fly traditional and homemade kites.

Weather

Himeji has similar weather to most parts of Japan. Expect very high temperatures and humidity in the summer months from June to September and cool weather in winter months from December to February.

Getting There

By Plane

Kansai International Airport is the nearest international airport, about 2 hours away from Himeji.

By Train

From the Kansai area, the easiest way to get to Himeji is to take the JR line.

• From Osaka: Take the Special rapid (Shinkaisoku) on the Tokaido San yo line from Osaka station to Himeji station. It takes 61 minutes and costs 1,450 yen.
• From Kobe: Take the Special rapid (Shinkaisoku) on the Tokaido San yo line from Sannomiya station to Himeji station. It takes 39 minutes and costs 950 yen.
• From Kyoto: Take the Special rapid (Shinkaisoku) on the Tokaido San yo line from Kyoto station to Himeji station. It takes 91 minutes and costs 2,210 yen.

If you have a JR pass Himeji station is a stop on the Shinkansen, bullet train.
Check the Japan Rail website for more information about schedules and prices.

Sleep

Learn

• Himeji Dokkyo University (Japanese only)

Keep Connected

Phone

See also: International Telephone Calls

Post

The Japanese postal service is excellent! Domestic and international mail service is very quick and reliable. The prices for sending letters, postcards and parcels vary depending on where you send if from and to which country you send it too, and of course depends on weight as well, so check this calculation page of Japan Post for more details. Post offices generally are open from 9:00am to 5:00pm on weekdays, closing at weekends and also on national holidays, though a few open on Saturdays from 9:00am to 3:00pm. Central post offices are sometimes open until 7:00pm, open on Saturdays from 9:00am to 5:00pm and on Sundays and holidays from 9:00am to 12:30pm. Another thing to remember is that the post office is one of the few places in Japan that is guaranteed to have ATMs that take international cards.