4/5
If you are planning to visit a castle, this one is much of a better choice than Hiroshima or Osaka castle. For a simple reason; this one is real, the others are fake. From Himeji station it's a 15-20 minute walk, passing by different shops with souvenirs and other stuff. The park of the castle itself is not impressive but the castle, completely manufactured out of wood, is something special and very well preserved. I'm sure tons of rework and maintenance is being carried out to keep it in it's original shape but it remains cool to walk through. There is a designated walking route through the castle which brings you all the way to the top floor with some great views over Himeji. After your visit, it's totally worth visiting the neighboring garden Koko-en. I would say, for both the castle and graden, a 2,5 to 3 hours is enough traveling time excluded.
Sander van Vliet2
