Himeji Castle in Japan

Built in 1346 by Akamatsu Sadanori, the Himeji castle has strangely spared the ravages or war and time. Rising around 150 feet from the ground, the monument sprawls as a sparkling white wooden structure that has been acclaimed by the UNESCO as a world heritage site. A labyrinthine construction of gates and baileys is meant to baffle any enemy trying to break inside, and even today the tourists tend to lose their way as they marvel at the intricate designs. The castle today stands as a brilliant symbol of a glorious royalty whose defensive measures and aestheticism has resulted in one of the major tourist attraction of the world.

How to reach Himeji: The castle is placed in the heart of the Himeji city, 650 kilometers to the east of Tokyo from where it takes 4 hours of train ride to reach the J.R. Himeji station. Himeji is along the Sanyo shinkansen line and the train takes about an hour from Osaka or Kobe. Once you have reached the station, the castle is only 5 minutes of bus ride and 15 minutes away if you walk. There is a dense network of bus services bus services to Himeji from Kobe, Osaka, Kyoto, Okayama, or Hiroshima. Flights can be availed from the Osaka's Kansai International Airport and Kobe Airport.

Where to stay in Himeji: Himeji is a buzzing town that provides a number of accommodations for the tourists. With all amenities, the hotels of Himeji mingle an age old hospitality with the new world infrastructure to promise an unforgettable stay. Himeji Castle Hotel, Himeji Nikko Hotel, The Sofitel Cypress, Nagoya, Himeji Sunroute Hotel and the Sun Garden Hotel are a hub of all recreational facilities and are the most frequented hotels of the city. .

Places to visit near Himeji: Other than the Himeji castle, the city has a number of other attractions for the tourists to visit. The Koko-en, or the samurai quarter is located to the west of the castle.

Himeji houses a number of museums, like the Himeji City Museum of Art, the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of History and the Ando Tadao's Museum of Literature.

Near enough the castle is the Senhime Tenman-gu, a shrine devoted to Senhime.

Accommodation in Japan
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