Day One Japan

Hyogo (兵庫県)

Walk straight from Himeji Station to the white castle, then see it from a red-brick art museum and a garden beside the moat.

Open the full walk in Google Maps
The white keep and stone ramparts of Himeji Castle
Himeji Castle · Martin Falbisoner · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Resized and framed for this page

Getting to Himeji Castle

From Osaka Station (大阪駅)

Take a JR Kobe Line Special Rapid (新快速) that stops at Himeji (姫路駅). From Shin-Osaka, a Sanyō Shinkansen that stops at Himeji is another option. Use the north exit, signed Himeji Castle (姫路城口), for the walk up the main avenue.

Himeji Station (姫路駅)

Himeji Station’s north side facing Himeji Castle
Mont Blank rich · CC0 1.0 · Resized
Public transport in Google Maps Himeji City’s train access guide

Three stops in order

  1. 1. Himeji Castle (姫路城)

    Walk north along Ōtemae-dori and enter by the main gate. Allow time for the uphill route through the gates to the keep and for the steep stairs inside.

    Walk in Google Maps Map of the stop Himeji Castle official admission information

  2. 2. Himeji City Museum of Art (姫路市立美術館)

    Follow public paths to the east side of the castle for the red-brick museum and a view of the keep from the lawn. Check the exhibition and closing calendar before entering.

    Walk in Google Maps Map of the stop Himeji City Museum of Art

  3. 3. Kokoen Garden (好古園)

    Circle back around the castle to the west side for the walled gardens beside the moat. Return to the station along the main avenue.

    Walk in Google Maps Map of the stop JNTO’s official Kokoen guide

Castle, museum and garden have their own schedules. If the museum is closed, go straight from the castle to Kokoen.

Transport and visitor information checked .