After the perfect full day on Miyajima Island, my goal for today was to make it from Hiroshima up to Himeji, home of Japan’s most famous castle. However, Himeji is really only a half day destination so I researched some fun things to do in the area. I landed on Kurashiki – a small, older town with the historic quarter centered around a small canal with shops, cafes, and hopefully cherry blossoms. There was quite the journey to be had however, albeit each leg was pretty quick. I took the JR ferry from Miyajima over to Miyajimaguchi, then hopped on the local train to Hiroshima Station. From there, it is another lightning fast shinkansen ride up to Okayama. I put my luggage into lockers at Okayama Station and then took another local JR train just a few stops over to Kurashiki.

Exploring Kurashiki’s Historic Quarter

From Kurashiki Station, it is about a 15-20 minute walk down to the historic quarter. There are busses that run from the station down towards this area, but I was hungry as lunch time neared and there is a covered shopping street for the entire duration of the walk. It is called Ebisu-dori and runs parallel to the main road on the East side. On this road I came across Curry House Kobe-ya which smelled delicious and I’m glad I followed my instincts – it was absolutely delicious (and cheap). Easily the best curry I have had in Japan! The lightly fried meats and rice were perfect. At the end of the covered street you will know you made it to the historic quarter because the architecture drastically changes from normal looking city buildings to white washed samurai-esque buildings with wooden finishes and black roof tiles. The canal area is just down the street and where you’ll spend the bulk of your time here.

The historic quarter is centered around the “L” shaped canal that is flanked by bridges on each end and one in the center at the river bend. This center bridge is the hub of activity, with all of the best photo ops, touts, people, and shops all around. It was enjoyable place to walk around for and hour and enjoy all the various angles of the canal and cherry blossoms hanging over the canal. You can also take a boat ride through the canal if you’d like – I believe a video from this spot once went viral because the man pushing the boat jumped up and over a small bridge as the boat went under. I also saw a lot of people dressed up for photos and that adds to the atmosphere! Lastly, you have to enjoy a unique snack while you are here. I tried a fun stick of mochi (sweet rice dough) that was seasonal and had 4 different flavors on it. If you see a line of people along a shop, it probably means it’s worth checking out!

While I wouldn’t come out of my way to visit Kurashiki, if you have some time between Hiroshima and Himeji, it’s a good stop to break up the journey and fill up your day.

Journey to Himeji Castle

I left behind Kurashiki to make the return to Okayama Station and collect my luggage. From there, another Shinkansen took me to Himeji Station. The views from Himeji Station are incredible, with the beautiful castle dominating the skyline down the long main drag of Otemae Street. I did almost make one trip planning blunder however, as Himeji Castle closes for entry at 4pm (you can explore it until 5pm once inside) and my train arrived at 3:33pm. I quickly threw my bags in a locker and made my way out of the station. I debated walking, but it’s easily 20 minutes or more down to the castle. Luckily there was a Castle Loop Bus waiting to the left of the station, and costing only 100 yen, this was a no brained. I sweated waiting for our departure, and I made it to the entrance of the castle grounds by 3:50pm.

I still wasn’t off the hook, as it’s a good walk through the castle grounds gate and across the large park at the base of the castle. This was also a happening spot, with a large ring of cherry trees circling the grounds and tons of people enjoying the last weekend of Hanami here in Himeji. Not knowing if I would be back this way, I detoured through the trees to enjoy them and still managed to make it to the castle entrance at 3:58pm! I paid my entry fee and it turned out to be the best planning ever – I basically had the castle grounds to myself. It’s a beautiful, zig zagging, inclined maze from the entrance of the castle up to the main structure, going through all of the castle walls and gardens on the way up. Lots of cherry trees and no one else to share the space with! It was a magical walk up to the castle.

Climbing to the top of the Castle

Once inside the castle, I felt like I had climbed most of the way already on the outside. But I was wrong! It is an endless series of steep, narrow wooden staircases to the top of the castle. You even have to take your shoes off and carry them in a plastic bag, adding to the fun slipping and sliding up to the top. However patience is worth it, while you can’t see much along the journey the views from the top are absolutely fantastic.

To the east you can enjoy a beautiful panoramic of the city. To the south, you can see the circle of cherry trees you just walked through and the view down to Himeji Station. And to the west, you can see the extended castle grounds which appear to be on rolling hills surrounded by cherry trees. As the sun started to go down (seriously, the only complaint about Japan is early sunsets lol) the view was even more special. Sometimes it works in your favor! However, I couldn’t enjoy the view from the top for too long as there was one more spot I have dreaming to see before dark.

Famous View from Shiromidai Park

I call this view famous because if you google Himeji Castle, or Cherry Blossoms in Japan, or some mix of those two phrases, these photos are what you are probably going to find. However, in actuality, hardly any tourists know of this quiet spot! For example I met a nice guy from the UK while in the castle and he had never heard of it, but was excited when I welcomed him to walk with me and see for himself. I had scouted out the spot in the fall when I was here last so I knew where it was, so I led the way without any delay against the setting sun. It is located in Shiromidai Park in the Southeast corner of the castle, just outside the castle grounds. It’s actually very easy to find – once inside the small park walk to the back corner towards the moat of the castle. The spot is tiny, but there was only 3-4 photographers set up and we were able to make room to take our own photos and enjoy them capturing the magic!

The view looks up at Himeji Castle from the moat, through a very narrow tunnel in the cherry trees on either side. To make it better, a small red bridge from the Himeji zoo crosses the moat below the castle, adding even more Japanese flair to this amazing view. It can be tough to get the perfect angle, so we all took turns getting down on a knee at the perfect angle to get the castle between the trees. On a sunny day like this there is even a great reflection, and we even saw the last boat rides of the day go by before they closed up shop. Get here well before sunset, set up, and enjoy the amazing peaceful view. We stayed for easily an hour, chatting away until the sky glowed orange and taking tons of photos as it always seemed better and better. How this spot stays so hidden while not really being hidden blows my mind but I hope more people get to enjoy it as long as they are respectful of others and give everyone a turn to take the perfect shot.

Leaving Himeji for the next stop – Kyoto

Himeji is really accessible to the major tourist areas of Osaka and Kyoto – only about 30 minutes by shinkansen. To position myself for the next 2 days, I walked back to Himeji Station and collected my baggage for the ride up to Kyoto Station. It was now dinner time, so I grabbed another cutlet bento box from the Ekiban to enjoy dinner while on the train. Himeji Station is also super fun for waiting because some bullet trains will fly by without stopping, an experience you must have while riding trains in Japan. Just trust me! But my train soon arrived and we were off to Kyoto for the next part of the trip. Upon arrival I took a bus nearest to my hotel and i’ll include that unique stay in my Kyoto blogs.

While Himeji was a little disappointing for me while I visited in the fall, this spring time visit for Cherry Blossoms was magical! You must add Himeji Castle to your sakura trips in Japan while you are in either Osaka or Kyoto, or like me, making your way to/from Hiroshima. Just make sure you get to the castle before 4pm!