How To Visit Himeji Castle In Japan
The design and history here are incredible and very worth a visit even from other parts of Japan. Himeji Castle can be visited easily on a day trip from nearby places like Kobe, Osaka, or Kyoto.
I grew up loving Samurai everything, so naturally this castle was on my Japan ‘bucket list’ for years. We’ve done the day trip to Himeji Castle from Osaka several times now, and it’s always fascinating.
This travel guide will explain how to get to Himeji Castle, and what to expect when you visit!
History Of Himeji Castle
Himeji-jo started construction in the 1300s, and then it was expanded even more in the 1600s by Samurai ruler Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
At one time, thousands of soldiers lived in the Himeji-jo complex, and many times throughout history the castle was almost lost. During World War II, Allied bombs were dropped on the castle and failed to explode. It also survived a major earthquake in the 1990s.
Today, Himeji-jo is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site and also a National Treasure of Japan, and it gets about 3 million visitors per year.
The castle recently went through 5 years of restoration work and it’s finally viewable again without tons of scaffolding on the main keep, so right now is a GREAT time to go see it.
The castle grounds are huge and you could spend hours exploring them.
The main keep (tenshu) of Himeji Castle has 6 floors. You can go to the very top.
Visiting Himeji Castle: What To Expect
Himeji is a huge fortress complex that covers almost 240 hectares (600 acres), stands about 60 meters (200 feet) tall, and has dozens of defensive gates, moats, and walls from the medieval period in Japan.
I would budget at least a couple of hours for walking around the castle complex and seeing 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 ever since I was a kid, so when I was passing through Japan recently I knew I had to devote an entire day to the experience.
The castle is such a work of art, especially when you view it at a distance.
The architecture of the castle is incredible.
Mon symbols
The castle complex is HUGE and there are a lot of different areas to explore; it’s easy to get lost in, but that’s part of the fun.
The main keep has 6 stories and you can climb to the very top and look out through the bow-and-arrow slits for a better view of the surrounding city.
There are some great restaurants and gift shops near the castle that are worth checking out as well.
See tiny me in this photo?
Entrance Fees
- Adults: ¥1000 ($7 USD)
- Kids: ¥300
Visiting Hours
- Normal Hours: 9 AM – 5 PM
- Summer Hours: 9 AM – 6 PM
The last allowed entry time is 1 hour before closing.
The castle is generally open every day of the year except for December 28 and 29. Tickets can’t be reserved in advance.
The entrance fee is 1,000 Yen. There’s no extra charge for going into the main keep.
How To Get To Himeji Castle
The best way to reach Himeji is by train. Japan has an awesome rail network so this is a pretty smooth process.
If the instructions below seem confusing, you can click on the links to bring up the exact routes in Google Maps. No guesswork needed!
From Tokyo
While it’s technically possible to visit Himeji Castle on a day trip from Tokyo, I wouldn’t recommend it because you would spend almost 8 hours total in transit and the tickets would be very expensive. The one way journey takes about 3.5 hours.
If possible, it’s definitely a better idea to visit Himeji from somewhere closer, like Kyoto or Osaka (info below).
Riding trains like this is part of the fun in getting to Himeji Castle!
Travel times to Himeji from various cities in Japan. Courtesy of the Himeji-jo JP official website.
From Kyoto
- Shinkansen: Kyoto and Himeji are connected by the Tokaido-Sanyo Shinkansen. The journey from Kyoto Station to Himeji Station will take about 45-60 minutes depending on the train.
- JR Special Rapid Train: This train journey from Kyoto Station to Himeji Station will take about 90 minutes.
From Osaka
- Shinkansen: Osaka and Himeji are connected by the Tokaido-Sanyo Shinkansen. The journey from Shin-Osaka Station to Himeji Station will take about 30 minutes.
- JR Special Rapid Train: This train journey from Osaka Station to Himeji Station will take about 1 hour.
After you exit Himeji Station, the castle entrance will be just a 15 minute walk away. Happy travels!
This is one of the signs that greets you as you arrive in Himeji city.
Best Time To Visit
The most popular months to visit Himeji Castle are late March to mid-April, with the first week of April being especially busy because of cherry blossom season. Golden Week (first week of May) is also very busy because of the holidays.
I personally think the castle is amazing any month of the year, so I say just go when the crowds aren’t around! We went in January and had the whole castle mostly to ourselves.
There’s no way to reserve tickets in advance, so if you go during peak season you’ll have to be there early in the morning to get tickets.
The official website for Himeji Castle has a congestion forecast with the expected number of visitors, and they also have a helpful calendar that shows which days of the year are typically busiest.
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Where We Stayed
We stayed at Hotel Mikado in Osaka for 4,000 Yen ($30 USD). As a solo traveler or couple, you won't find a better budget hotel in Japan!
For this price we got a clean, private room with heat/AC, fridge, TV, and super fast WiFi. The room is a little small but comfy, and bathrooms are shared, but that's the norm in Japan.
The location was perfect -- just a 2 minute walk from restaurants and the train stations, and only a 15 minute ride to Osaka Castle and Dotonbori shopping street. We also made day trips to Himeji, Kyoto, and Nara!
Prices may fluctuate from time to time, so just keep an eye out for a good deal.
Our Osaka hotel