Himeji, Japan

Himeji is a city located in Hyōgo Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. It boasts one of Japan's finest castle. At one point in the late 1500's, it was the biggest castle in all of Asia. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Other attractionsin Himeji include the Engyō-ji temple, Mount Seppiko-san, Himeji Central Park (a safari park), the Himeji City Tegarayama Botanical Garden and the Koko-en Garden.

Things to See & Do

* Himeji Castle
* Kōkoen Garden
* Hyogo Prefectural Museum of History
* Senhime Shrine
* Engyo-ji Temple

General information

Cruise Season – Jan - Dec
Currency – Yen (JPY)
Language – Japanese
Population – 550,000 approx
Land Area – 533 km2
Electricity – 2 perpendicular flat pins USA style or with a round pin below
Time - GMT plus hours nine hours
International Country Telephone Code – 81

Port Location – The port of Himeji is located in the middle of Hyogo prefecture, behind the central city of western Hyogo Himeji Shimasuto.

Travel Links – Himeji does not have its own airport. The nearest international airport is Kansai International Airport; buses run eight times a day to Himeji station (about 2 1/4 hours). The nearest domestic airports are in Kobe and Osaka.


Himeji is along the Sanyo shinkansen line (山陽新幹線) from Osaka and Kobe to Okayama and Hiroshima. The Hikari Rail Star offers frequent service to Himeji within the Sanyo region, as do the all-stopping Kodama trains. From Tokyo, one Nozomi train per hour runs through to Himeji, covering the journey in just over three hours.

Shinki Bus runs an overnight service from Tokyo (Shinjuku and Shibuya) to Himeji.