This is one of the masterpiece castles of the world. Truly fantastic and all original as it was never attacked. It will take about 3 hours to have a fairly good look but you can do it quickly in one hour if you walk quickly. Only 15 mins walk from the station this is a must-see if you are in... More

during the maitaining time so not much to see just feel very nice and clean More

Check out recent web sites before you plan your trip. As noted by another reviewer, the castle is undergoing major renovation until 2014 or 2015, and most of the site (the keep) is hidden behind a large warehouse of scaffolding. What remains on view is still very impressive however, and takes a few hours to tour. I didn't pay the... More

Himeji-jo was still under renovation and the main building was surrounded by scaffolds draped by a fake facade when we visited. Nonetheless, we were lucky enough to have an old Japanese man as a free tour guide. We really had trouble understanding his English at first and I thought it was going to be a painful visit, but after a... More

The main tower, the one that dominates most of the photos posted by other reviewers, is completely shrouded in scaffolding and a containment building while much of the exterior of the building is stripped away and replaced. Incredibly, they charge 400 yen for admission, then another 200 yen just to view the renovation efforts up close and enjoy the bird's... More

This was one of the highlights of our trip to Japan. The family loved everything about this place - architecture, giant stone walls, the history and stories, the fact that it was used in the movie The Last Samurai, gardens etc. We went in Autumn and saw a couple of peach blossoms, but it would be lovely when in full... More

The castle was beautifully preserved with at least 6 levels that could be toured. The quarters where the princesses lived was also available for tour. It was gorgeous with cedar floors, and traditional paper walls. The day we went there was a festival in a near-by lot with music, a bizarre and performers. More

I went to Himeji Castle with high expectations, having read in the Lonely Planet that the castle was the finest in Japan. If not for the fact the main tower is under construction and hidden by scaffolding, this may well be the case. However, with one third (the most important third) of the castle closed for renovations until 2014, and... More

The castle is impressive to look at from a distance but in all, it was one of our biggest disappointments with regards to our trip in Japan. The main castle was closed for entry. I am not sure what was there to see in the main castle, but the other parts of the castle that were open for viewing were... More