Located at just about an hour from Osaka or Kyoto, Himeji is a popular day trip – or a stopover spot on the way west to Hiroshima. Since we were based in Osaka for our Kansai portion of the trip, we decided to head over on a day trip. The city is perhaps best known for Himeji Castle, which is widely considered the most beautiful surviving feudal castle.

Himeji Castle is the finest surviving example of early 17th-century Japanese castle architecture. The Castle is often considered Japan’s most spectacular castle because of its imposing size and beauty. The Castle itself is extremely well preserved and the grounds are vast and complex. Made up of over 80 buildings spread over the grounds, the castle complex as it survives today was completed in 1609.

Visitors to the Castle can actually climb inside and walk around the 6 floors that make up the main hold. You have to take your shoes off on the main floor in order to climb to the other floors, so I highly recommend bringing a pair of socks with you if you don’t want to walk around barefoot. The stairs up and down the floors are pretty steep as well, so proceed with caution! It’s a hike, but the views at the top are well worth the climb.

Visitors to the Castle can also stop by Kokoen Garden, a Japanese-style garden next to the Castle. Kokoen Garden features a pond with a waterfall, a pine tree garden, a bamboo garden, and a flower garden. There is also a tea house where visitors can have matcha with a sweet.

After visiting Himeji Castle, we made our way to Mount Shosha. There is a bus that departs close to the entrance of the Castle grounds and takes you all the way to the Mount Shosha Ropeway. The ropeway up the mountain is 700¥ one way or 1200¥ round trip and runs every 15 minutes. Alternatively, you can also hike up to the top, which takes about 45 to 60 minutes.

Mount Shosha is home to Shoshazan Engyoji Temple, which was founded in 966. Engyoji is a Tendai Buddhist Temple and is the 27th temple in the 33-sacred temple Kannon pilgrimage route in Saigoku. Engyoji has been featured in several Hollywood movies, including The Last Samurai and The Assassin.

From the Ropeway, it is about a 15 to 20 minute walk to the Niomon Gate. From there, it is another 10 to 15 minute walk to the Maniden, a beautiful wooden temple hall. The walk itself is very pleasant and there are a lot of little things to see along the way. Alternatively, there is also a minibus that runs from the Ropeway to the Maniden for 500¥.

We really enjoyed our visit to Engyoji – partially because it really felt off the beaten path and also because it was just so peaceful up there. The walk up felt a bit like an adventure, filled with little cool things to see. If you’re visiting Himeji – or even thinking of taking a day trip out of your Osaka trip, I highly recommend Mount Shosha and Engyoji.