Himeji Castle

Himeji Castle is widely regarded as the finest surviving castle in Japan and one of the most beautiful fortresses in the world. Rising in brilliant white above the city of Himeji, its elegant, soaring main keep and interlocking defensive structures have earned it the affectionate nickname Shirasagi-jo, the 'White Heron Castle,' for its resemblance to a great white bird taking flight. It was among the first sites in Japan to be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, in 1993, and is designated a National Treasure.

What makes Himeji so special is that it is authentic and complete. Unlike most Japanese castles, which were destroyed by war, fire or modernisation and later rebuilt in concrete, Himeji survives largely as it was in the early seventeenth century. The current complex was completed in 1609 under Ikeda Terumasa, son-in-law of the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, on foundations laid by earlier lords including Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Remarkably, it came through the feudal wars, the anti-castle sentiment of the Meiji era, and the American firebombing of Himeji in 1945, which flattened the surrounding city but spared the castle, unscathed. More than eighty original wooden buildings remain.

The castle is a masterpiece of defensive design as much as of beauty. The approach to the six-storey main keep spirals through a bewildering maze of gates, walls, courtyards and dead ends deliberately built to confuse and expose attackers, who would be funnelled beneath loopholes and stone-dropping chutes. Inside the keep, steep wooden staircases climb past displays of the building's ingenious construction, including the two colossal pillars that run its full height, to the top floor where a small shrine and a panorama over the city reward the climb. The dazzling white exterior comes from a special fire-resistant white plaster coating the walls and roof tiles, restored to gleaming brightness during a major renovation completed in 2015.

A visit is a rich half-day. Beyond the keep, the West Bailey preserves a long defensive corridor and the residence associated with Princess Sen, a granddaughter of Ieyasu, adding a human and even romantic dimension to the fortress. The grounds are especially glorious in early April, when hundreds of cherry trees frame the white walls in pink, and again in autumn. The main keep involves a real climb up steep original stairs, so comfortable shoes are essential and the upper floors are not wheelchair accessible, though the grounds and lower areas are more manageable.

Getting here could hardly be easier. Himeji sits on the Sanyo Shinkansen and the JR Sanyo Main Line, putting it under an hour from Osaka and around three from Tokyo, and the castle is a straight fifteen-minute walk up the grand Otemae-dori avenue from the station, visible ahead the whole way. Arriving at opening time is the single best piece of advice, as the narrow keep staircases create long queues by midday. Combine the castle with the adjacent Koko-en garden on a discounted joint ticket. Majestic, authentic and endlessly photogenic, Himeji Castle is an essential highlight of any journey through western Japan.