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Himeji is a city in the Harima region of Hyogo Prefecture in western Japan, famous for Himeji Castle, the brilliant white castle that is the finest surviving example of Japanese castle architecture. Its main keep dates from the early 17th century, and in 1993 the castle became one of the first UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Japan.
The castle grounds hold a cluster of cultural sites: the Koko-en gardens on the site of the lord's west residence, the red-brick city art museum in a former army arsenal, the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of History by Kenzo Tange and the Himeji Literature Museum by Tadao Ando.
Beyond the centre, a ropeway climbs Mount Shosha to the great temple of Engyo-ji, while ferries cross to the quiet Ieshima Islands in the Harima Sea. Himeji Central Park offers a drive-through safari, and every October the Nada Fighting Festival sends portable shrines crashing together at Matsubara Hachiman Shrine.
Himeji Castle is the great white castle at the heart of Himeji, nicknamed the White Heron Castle for its elegant, bird-like form. Its main keep dates from the early 17th century, it is a national treasure and a UNESCO site, and 83 historic structures still stand within its walls.
Koko-en Garden is a group of nine Japanese gardens beside Himeji Castle, opened in 1992 on the site of the lord's west residence. Its 3.5 hectares follow the original layout of samurai houses, with walled gardens, a large carp pond, a tea garden and fine views of the castle keep.
The Hyogo Prefectural Museum of History stands on the site of samurai houses in the grounds of Himeji Castle, in a modern building by Kenzo Tange that opened in 1983 and was designed to suggest a castle. Its galleries trace Hyogo history and present castles across Japan.
The Himeji City Museum of Art occupies red-brick army warehouses built in 1905 near Himeji Castle, now a registered cultural property. Its collection covers local artists, modern Japanese art and some 350 Belgian works, a link to Charleroi, the Belgian sister city of Himeji.
The Himeji Literature Museum is a striking concrete building by architect Tadao Ando near Himeji Castle, opened in 1991. It presents writers linked to the Harima region, including the philosopher Watsuji Tetsuro, and has a room devoted to the popular historical novelist Shiba Ryotaro.
Himeji City Zoo is a small zoo that opened in 1951 inside the outer grounds of Himeji Castle, so elephants and giraffes are seen against the backdrop of the white keep. It is a cheap and easy family stop on a castle visit, though the city has decided to move it to a new site.
Himeji Central Park is a large safari park and amusement park on the outskirts of Himeji, opened in 1984. Visitors tour the safari zone to see animals roaming in open enclosures, then try the roller coasters and rides, while a pool and a night safari open in summer and an ice rink in winter.
The Nada Fighting Festival is held every 14 and 15 October at Matsubara Hachiman Shrine in Himeji. Three portable shrines are smashed together in a sacred ritual, while ornate yatai floats from seven old villages are hoisted and jostled, one of the great autumn festivals of Harima.
Engyo-ji is a large Tendai Buddhist temple on Mount Shosha above Himeji, the 27th stop on the Saigoku pilgrimage and known as the Mount Hiei of the West. Its great wooden halls stand among old forest, and they were used as a filming location for the movie The Last Samurai.
The Mount Shosha Ropeway carries visitors from the foot of Mount Shosha in Himeji up to the temple of Engyo-ji. The ride covers 781 metres and climbs 211 metres in about four minutes, with wide views over the city and the Harima Plain unfolding below on the way up.
Mount Shosha is a forested mountain on the north-west edge of Himeji, protected as a prefectural natural park and wildlife sanctuary where patches of primeval forest survive. Six old trails climb its slopes to Engyo-ji at the top, a quieter alternative to the ropeway for keen walkers.
The Ieshima Islands are a group of more than 40 islands in the Harima Sea, about 18 kilometres off the coast of Himeji and part of the city since 2006. Four are inhabited, with fishing harbours and stone quarries, and ferries carry visitors to the quiet villages of Ieshima and Boze.
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