Himeji Castle, also known as Himeji-jo, is the largest medieval samurai castle in Japan and arguably one of the coolest and most photogenic places in the whole country.
The design and history here are awesome and also worth a visit from other parts of Japan. Himeji Castle can be easily visited on a day trip from nearby places such as Kobe, Osaka or Kyoto.
I grew up with samurai and loved everything about it, so of course this castle has been on my bucket list in Japan for years. We have made the day trip From Osaka to Himeji Castle several times before, and it is always fascinating.
In this guide, you will learn how to get to Himeji Castle and what to expect during your visit!
History of Himeji Castle
Himeji-jo began construction in the 1300s, then was further developed by the Samurai ruler Toyotomi Hideyoshi in the 1600s.
At one time, thousands of soldiers lived in the Himeji-jo complex, and several times throughout history, the castle was almost lost. During the Second World War, Allied bombs were dropped on the castle and did not explode. He also survived a major earthquake in the 1990s.
Today, Himeji-jo is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site and also as a national treasure of Japan, and is visited by about 3 million visitors a year.
The castle has recently undergone 5 years of restoration work and can finally be seen again without tons of scaffolding on the main keep, so it’s a good time to see it.
Himeji Castle Tour: what to expect
Himeji is a huge fortress complex that spans almost 240 hectares (600 acres), is about 60 meters (200 feet) high and has dozens of defensive gates, moats and walls dating back to the Middle Ages in Japan.
I would take at least a few hours to walk around the castle complex and see everything here, although we personally explored the Castle Grounds for almost 4 hours and could have stayed longer.
I’ve wanted to see Himeji Castle since I was a child. While traveling to Japan recently, I knew that I had to dedicate a whole day to the experience.
The castle complex is huge and there are many different areas to explore; it’s easy to get lost there, but that’s part of the fun.
The main dungeon has 6 floors and you can climb to the top and look outside through the bow and arrow slots for a better view of the surrounding city.
There are excellent restaurants and souvenir shops near the castle that are also worth a visit.
How to get to Himeji Castle
The best way to reach Himeji is by train. Japan has a fantastic rail network, so it’s a pretty smooth process.
If the instructions below seem confusing, you can click on the links to see the exact routes in Google Maps. No guesswork necessary!
From Tokyo
Although it is technically possible to visit Himeji Castle on a day trip from Tokyo, I would not recommend it because you would spend almost 8 hours in total in transit and the tickets would be very expensive. The one-way trip takes about 3.5 hours.
