From Kyoto, there are many day trip options. Osaka, Hiroshima, but where we ultimately landed was Himeji. A town that we learned was completely destroyed during World War II, all except for the Himeji Castle. The city has ultimately been built back up and the Himeji Castle is the crown jewel in the center of it.
About an hour and a half by train from Kyoto to Himeji Station, we walk out from the station and see it immediately. As we walk towards the castle, we see an earlier outer wall now used as part of some landscaping or dividing barrier. We cross a bridge across the castle’s moat, where koi fish swim easily bobbing their mouths up to the surface.
We enter the castle grounds and are greeted by a grand lawn, where we come to find out it once was the samurai training grounds and later on became military barracks after the Meiji reformation. In 2025, though, we see a lovely and lush green lawn lined with cherry blossoms, however not in bloom. We can’t imagine how the area would look during spring.
We secure our tickets and enter into the inner castle grounds. We can look up and see where guards would once throw rocks down on enemies who tried to attack. We tour the West Bailey first, which were the living quarters of the residing lord’s family and learn of Princess Sen along with the timeline of several shoguns who occupied the castle. We even saw connections back to Tokugawa Ieyasu, whom we first learned of in Nikko. That was a really unique experience to see something we learned of on one part of our trip in a completely different part of the country connect to where we are now.
After we left the West Bailey, we moved onto the main keep of the castle, the six floor towering structure seen from afar. We ascend the steep steps to each floor, rising higher and higher. The keep was used as the military stronghold of the castle, so we saw weaponry racks and could see the holes where guards would stick out their rifles to shoot.
We ultimately make it to the very top floor and can see out for miles. We imagined what it must have been like to see another army approaching from far away. Despite the dark wood and no electrical lighting system, we were shocked with how much light there was on each floor, as well as how cool it was on a warm September day.
As we descended back to the lower grounds, we learned that after the Shogun era, Himeji had fallen into disrepair. The Japanese government started to repair the castle but was halted during World War II, only to resume again after the war. From 1956 – 1964, the government worked to restore the castle all while keeping as much of the original architecture in place. This actually meant that there were areas where they took apart the castle, but rebuilt it in the same manner it was originally created, only with newer materials. Essentially, it’s the largest lego set ever.
We walked away from Himeji saying it has been the biggest highlight of the trip. Getting the opportunity to walk through the same building that has seen so much Japanese history was so fascinating. In our past trips, we’ve only ever seen Himeji from a window, so actually seeing it in person this trip was amazing.
After the castle, we took a quick stroll through the castle gardens and grabbed a bite to eat. Pizza to change it up a bit, and it actually was really good! A thinner crust, but still yummy!
Another matcha latte to go and we boarded the train to go back to Kyoto. After all the walking we did, a bathhouse seemed like a very logical activity. Alternating between the cold soak and hot bath, I think, really made my tired legs and feet feel that much better.
For dinner, a delicious meal of okonomiyaki Kyoto-style. A dish that is made of noodles, cabbage, and a seafood pancake layered together. Extremely delicious and so enjoyable with a couple of beers and friends.
Our days in Kyoto are winding down, which means so is our trip. Homesickness is starting to kick in a bit, but we’re still so grateful to be experiencing Japan.
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