Himeji Station (Sanyo Honsen/Shinkansen), walk 15 minutes.
I may be biased, but Himeji Castle is probably the most amazing place you could visit in Japan. There are some beautiful temples out there too but the sheer size of the main keep at Himeji Castle and the fact that you can walk around unhindered inside of it cannot be experienced elsewhere. Combined with the various types of gates and walls, it really is like stepping back in time. It can be very crowded however and the website provides some information about wait times to enter the main keep. If possible, try to visit on weekdays and plan to arrive when it opens. Most of the pictures you see in these albums were taken on weekdays in the winter, so it is possible to get good photos if you have some freedom with timing. Just before the ticket counter, off to your left, is an administration office where you may be able to connect with a volunteer English guide to tour the castle too. They are very knowledgeable and do great tours helping to make sure you don't miss anything important. I've been to Himeji Castle 15 times in about 20 years, but there are still things I've missed or forgotten to look for in the excitement of this great castle. If you have time, the Koko-en gardens are a worthy visit. You can also walk the outer moats around the castle to see more interesting angles of the castle and the ruins of other gates and fortifications. During certain seasons a boat ride around the moat makes for an interesting way to see the giant castle walls and moat up close too. Himeji is a nice town and hotels are less expensive than Kyoto/Osaka. If you spend a night here you can see more of the sites in and around the castle. The town also has a good bicycle rental system if you want to visit the castle and outlying areas efficiently. Himeji Castle is too vast with too many great things to show, recently they have been opening up parts of the castle for limited exhibitions a couple times per year too. I've split the photos of the main castle, surrounding castle town and these special exhibits into multiple albums you will see after the map below. The photos below are just a couple key photos of the main keep. =====Videos===== ￼START_WIDGET"'-eb4050bb44c15bfdEND_WIDGET ￼START_WIDGET"'-c583ba6fcfa89685END_WIDGET
3 hrs minimum, you could spend all day here
Open 9am-5pm (6pm in summer), closed Dec 29-30; 1000 yen
Himeji Castle
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Himeji Castle - Main Compounds
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Himeji Castle - Main Keep Interior
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Himeji Castle - Nishinomaru Yagura Interior
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Himeji Castle - Small Keeps Limited Exhibition
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Himeji Castle - Outer Ruins
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Himeji Castle - From A Distance
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Himeji Castle - Middle Moat
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Himeji Castle - Night Views
Himeji Castle - Hishi Gate Limited Exhibition
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Himeji Castle - Heisei Restoration
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Himeji Castle - To Yagura and Karamete Limited Exhibition
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Himeji Castle - Koko-en Gardens
Himeji Castle - Kokuin
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Himeji Castle - West Small Keep Limited Exhibition
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Himeji Castle - KawaGozabune
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Himeji Castle - Oremawari Yagura Limited Exhibition
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Himeji Castle - Wasen Moat Tour
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