Himeji is a large city located in the Kansai region of Japan. The city has been the center of Harima Province since the Nara period, serving as both the provincial capital and the seat of Harima Kokubun-ji Temple. After the Battle of Sekigahara in the year 1600, Ikeda Terumasa received an area in the province, and here he established the Himeji region under the Tokugawa Shogunate. Ikeda Terumasa ruled from Himeji Castle, and he expanded both the castle and the city around it.

Because of its strategic location dominating the San’yōdō highway between the Kinai region and western Japan, Himeji was an important stronghold of the Tokugawa shogunate throughout the Bakumatsu period. After the Meiji Restoration, Himeji became the capital of Himeji Prefecture from 1871. After the Great Kantō Earthquake of 1923, the Japanese government reportedly considered moving the country’s capital from Tokyo to Himeji, but this did not happen.

During World War II, Himeji was the target of several American bombing raids, where large bombardments on 22 June and 3 July 1945 laid large parts of the city in ruins. In the first attack, 341 people died, while over 10,000 were left homeless. The second attack killed 173, left 45,000 homeless and destroyed over 60% of the built-up area. In the midst of the fires and smoke, Himeji Castle stood untouched and thus survived the bombs.

Today there are several interesting sights, the most famous of which is Himeji Castle/Himeji-jō (姫路城). The castle complex consists of 83 individual buildings, and it is considered the finest example of Japanese castle architecture and one of the country’s best-preserved buildings from the time around the year 1600. In 1993, the castle was added to UNESCO’s list of world heritage sites.

The first of the castle’s buildings were erected at the beginning of the Muromachi period in 1346. The architect was Akamatsu Sadanori, who had previously built Shomyoji Temple on the same site. However, the castle in 1346 was a fort, which was built elsewhere in 1333, but moved to here. The largest expansion, which is often referred to as the start of the actual construction of Himeji-jō, took place in 1580, when Toyotomi Hideyoshi took over the castle and had three-story castle towers built.

After the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, the castle was taken over by Tokugawa Ieyasu, who soon after ceded it as thanks for the support during the battle to Ikeda Terumasa, who became a regional feudal lord with the title of Daimyō. During an eight-year construction period from 1601 to 1609, he expanded the complex to its current form with typical elements of the Momoyama period. He also built the five-story main building, Tenshukaku (天守閣). The last major expansion of the castle dates to 1618.

During the time of the Tokugawa shogunate, Himeji-jō was the residence castle, but after the Meiji Restoration in 1868, the residential part of the castle was demolished. The main tower and fortifications surrounding the impressive tenshukaku, which were never intended for habitation, were however preserved and give a strong impression of feudal Japan. The castle has also been used in several famous film and series productions such as the James Bond film You Only Live Twice and the miniseries Shōgun.

Just west of the castle is the garden Kōko-en (好古園), which was laid out in 1992 on the occasion of the centenary of the establishment of Himeji Municipality. The garden is a beautiful experience at many times of the year, and the fine facility was created with many different environments in the garden. There are carps in the garden’s lake, several teahouses and areas with bamboo, rivers, flowers, rice etc.

Northeast of the moat around Himeji Castle, you can visit the local history museum, the Hyōgo Prefectural Museum of History/Hyōgo kenritsu rekishi hakubutsukan (兵庫県立歴活博物館). The museum opened in 1983 and tells the history of the Hyōgo region through thematic exhibitions. You can also see other exhibitions, such as one about different Japanese castles.