I chance upon this park on the internet when searching for attractions in Himeji. It is not very accessible and so we drove there. It is a very fun and educational park for kids. We went to there with 3 young kids and we spent almost the whole day there. There are 2 areas to the park, the castle area and the outdoor stone area (which has most of the attractions). The castle is beautiful and grand and a monorail will take you up the hill to the castle. The view from the castle is nice. Most part of the attractions within the castle is 3-D image museum like the Trick Eye Museum and Alive Museum in Singapore. It is a little disappointing as we are expecting something more grand and magnificent from the look of the exterior of the castle. But nevertheless, the kids had fun posing for pictures. Visit can be done within an hour. Lunch is available at a restaurant on the second floor of the main building at the entrance. The food is great and good serving portion.
The outdoor stone area of the park is much more fun and the entire area is very big. We spent almost 3 hours there, climbing all the way along the "Great Wall of China" to the peak where the Twin Pagodas are located. There is a replica of the Terracottas Army site from China, although not as big as the real one, but it is magnificent enough for us. There are quite a few other attractions like the Pyramids of Egypt, the Paris’ Arc De Triomphe, the Incan Sun Pyramid, Tiananmen etc. There are many stone statues along the park including the Statue of Liberty and the Merlion.
Will rate as 5 Stars if the interior of the castle is more interesting. But do visit if you have time to spare in Himeji.