“Himeji Castle is a castle located in Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. Because of its white exterior walls, it is also known as White Heron Castle. Along with Kumamoto Castle and Matsumoto Castle, it is considered one of Japan’s three most famous castles. Thanks to its exceptional state of preservation, it is often called “Japan’s No. 1 Castle.” In December 1993, it became the first national treasure castle in Japan to be registered by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage site. Himeji Castle is located in the center of Himeji City and serves as the city’s main symbol. Many period dramas and films have also been shot here, or have used Himeji Castle as a stand-in for the now-lost Edo Castle. Situated at a key transportation hub in southern Hyogo Prefecture, Himeji Castle is elegant in style and surrounded by many scenic and historic sites, making it one of Japan’s great historic cities. The castle consists of 83 buildings and features a highly developed defensive system and ingenious protective devices. It also helps us understand Japanese feudal culture from the shogunate era. Himeji Castle is one of the best-preserved examples of early 17th-century architecture, a period when Japanese defensive architecture reached its peak. Eight structures, including the main keep, are designated National Treasures, while the remaining 74 buildings are recognized as Important Cultural Properties of Japan. The well-preserved buildings and outer defensive works not only showcase a remarkable heritage to the world, but also reflect the sophistication of Japanese castle architecture and its strategic defensive techniques”

Shipping Our Luggage to the Next Stop with Kuroneko

Because we had bought two extra suitcases the day before, we suddenly had way too much luggage. After many trips, we finally ended up using the Kuroneko TA-Q-BIN (Yamato) service. We asked the hotel staff to help send our suitcases to our hotel in Osaka. We chose next-day delivery, and by the time we checked in the following day, the luggage had already arrived.

The whole process was easy: we just had to tell the front desk the address of our next hotel. We didn’t even need to fill out the form ourselves. Super convenient.

Taking the Coastal Train to Himeji Castle

The attractions in central Kobe didn’t look all that interesting to us. We’d already seen similar things in Hokkaido, like ranches and famous night views. So we decided to spend the day visiting Himeji Castle instead.

The area around the hotel wasn’t especially lively.

We happened to catch a rapid train, and it took about half an hour. Along the way we passed through Suma, and this stretch runs along the sea, with a very distinctly Japanese feel.

Himeji Castle

After arriving in Himeji, we transferred to a bus to get to Himeji Castle. You could also walk, but we didn’t have the energy for that. These kinds of bus transfer stations always confuse me a little, because it’s hard to match up the routes on Google Maps with the signs at the bus stops. Luckily, the buses at Himeji Station had clear signage showing which platform went to Himeji Castle, so we didn’t get lost. We ran into a similar situation at the bus transfer station near Mount Fuji too.

Unlike the remote middle-of-nowhere setting I had imagined, the area around Himeji Castle was actually fairly lively.

The Kansai region was already at the tail end of cherry blossom season overall, and most of the cherry blossoms at Himeji Castle had already fallen too.

After buying our tickets at the entrance, we realized our kid had left their only jacket on the bus... and got scolded by Dad... Thankfully, the weather stayed fairly warm over the next few days, and since we were no longer out in the middle of nowhere, it was much easier to shop and just buy another one if needed.

The weather was great that day, and since it was the weekend, the castle was very crowded. At one point they were even controlling the visitor flow. Inside Himeji Castle, the only way up and down is via narrow staircases, and there were long lines on several floors. The stairs are narrow and steep, so it didn’t seem especially suitable for older visitors.

Although Himeji Castle is better preserved and more complete, Osaka Castle felt richer in terms of interior exhibits and educational resources.

Finally got a full close-up shot.

Himeji Castle Park has large grassy areas, and many families were out here for picnics.

At the castle gate, there were people dressed as samurai taking free photos with visitors. Standing out there under such a blazing sun must have been rough.

Across from the park was a street lined with food stalls, and there was even a monkey performance. The kids had never seen anything like it and watched with great interest. The parents, knowing the cruelty behind it, could hardly bear to watch.

We bought a few snacks from the stalls and called it lunch.

Sumaura Park, Which We Didn't Make It To

Besides the seaside train, Suma is also known for Sumaura Park, a popular cherry blossom viewing spot. On top of that, the park offers three different kinds of ropeway/cable rides, making it a great place to bring kids.

Although Suma lies between Himeji and Kobe, getting there from Himeji requires taking a local train, and it takes about as long as simply heading back to Kobe. The slow, swaying train ride felt almost cinematic, with scenery outside the window that looked like scenes from a Japanese film.

But after finally making it to Sumaura Park and getting ready to buy tickets, a man at the entrance told us that the day's ticket allotment had already been reached and everything was sold out. So, back onto the train to Kobe we went, and switched plans to shopping instead.

Shopping didn't go especially well either, and we still didn't find what we wanted—so dinner it was.

Let's Have Yakiniku in Kobe

Aside from the bustling Sannomiya area, Kobe as a whole feels a bit dated in terms of city planning and development. The pace feels unhurried, though, and it seems like a very livable city.

We passed this lovely little shop on the way to dinner.

This time we had a reservation at "満月," a small spot popular with locals that doesn't serve Kobe beef. Our reservation was for 6:00, but we arrived at 5:00, and after checking with the owner, the staff let us in early.

The exhaust hood at this restaurant was incredibly powerful. It looked totally ordinary, but the moment they turned it on, you could literally see the smoke getting sucked right in. I’ve never seen one with such strong suction.

This is a DIY grill spot, so there’s no server helping with the cooking. The menu was also a bit unusual. I didn’t order especially well and ended up getting quite a few marinated meats. We generally prefer unmarinated meat, or lightly salted meat dipped in sauce. Marinated meat always feels more like Korean BBQ to us.

One of their specialties is beef intestines. I can understand why people who like it enjoy the chewy texture and rich fatty flavor, but my travel companion and I still couldn’t really get into it.

Kobe at Night

We finished dinner pretty early, so we wandered around for a bit. Stores in Kobe really do close early.

We walked all the way back to the hotel and passed an overpass that was a great spot for photographing Kobe Port Tower.

My kid said they wanted to go up the tower, so we walked back over to Kobe Port Tower, only to find that it was under renovation and temporarily closed.

Spring evenings were still a little chilly. As we passed the pier, we saw people just getting off a sightseeing boat. On the way back to the hotel, we stopped by the Daiso across from the hotel and stocked up on a bunch of small items.

Good night, Kobe.

Goodbye, Kobe

We got up early to enjoy the balcony view one more time.

After one more hotel breakfast, it was time to leave Kobe.

Kobe → Osaka

There are plenty of ways to get from Kobe to Osaka—just follow Google Maps. We took a taxi to the subway station and happened to make it in time for an express train. But then we couldn’t find an escalator, so we ended up hauling our suitcases upstairs the whole way. My travel companion strained a thigh in the process, which definitely wasn’t worth it. Next time, we should just be patient and look for an elevator, even if it means arriving a little later.

Osaka, our third meeting!

About the Author

This article is reprinted from the WeChat public account of a reader from our WeChat group, Lazy 33’s Food and Fun. All of the articles are original and well worth reading, so feel free to follow if interested.