Sakura and the most beautiful castle in Japan
They say that life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. In that case, I want every breathtaking moment to be as spectacular as this one at Himeji Castle, floating in a sea of ethereal cherry blossoms and breathing so much beauty and inspiration into my life.
I have seen many castles in Japan and thought they were fairly similar and lacked the “wow” factor associated with European castles. But I have been proven wrong, completely.
Himeji Castle (姫路城 or the ‘White Heron Castle’) has a gleaming white exterior and is said to resemble a magnificent heron bird in flight. It is widely considered as Japan's most spectacular castle and I must agree. It is majestic in its size, beauty and elegance and has ruined me for all other Japanese castles - seriously, how can it get better than this?
Read on for this beautiful ‘is this real life’ experience and practical information at the end!
It was a chilly April morning when I groggily got up at the crack of dawn to see the sunrise (at 5:45am!) at Himeji Castle - later, I would be very happy that I did not press the snooze button that morning.
I was in a sleep haze but felt this excitement/nervous energy as the sky brightened with patches of yellow and pink and my legs quickly awakened and walked as fast as they could to our destination. Soon after entering Sakuramon-bashi Bridge (姫路城 桜門橋), I was rewarded with my first look at this majestic and elegant national treasure, awashed in pink morning glow and framed by the fluffiest blossoms just reaching full bloom.
What a sight for sleepy eyes! With so many ‘different’ cherry blossoms to frame one castle - I quickly got to work…but it was hard to know what to focus on ;)
Just me and the most beautiful castle in Japan - in total awe that this is real and I am lucky enough to be here.
I visited before the castle opened so couldn’t enter the castle itself and instead focused on the park grounds outside of the castle gate (where most of the cherry blossoms are). After meandering my way through Sannomaru Square (三の丸広場), I walked along the moat on the eastern side of the castle (where the Himeji city zoo is) and came to this postcard perfect shot of the castle, reflected in the moat with a red bridge .
I think this shot perfectly captures how stunning cherry blossom is in Japan.
To get here: Himeji Castle is a 15-20mins walk from Himeji Station (you can spot the castle from the station). Himeji Station is serviced by the Shinkansen bullet train so it is often done as a day trip from or en route to Kyoto / Osaka / Kobe / Okayama (but I stayed in Himeji itself - see ‘Tips’ below). More information on Himeji city here / official Himeji Castle page here / castle maps here.
Best sakura viewing time: early-mid April. I visited on 5 April 2019 and it just reached full bloom. 2020 sakura is expected to bloom earlier due to warm weather - current full bloom for Himeji is forecasted for 31 March 2020 (and best viewing time would last for 5-7 days, subject to weather conditions). Sakura forecast here. If you are visiting Japan (and in particular Kyoto / Osaka) in Spring, I think you must add Himeji to the itinerary ;)
Tips:
If you want to enjoy and photograph Himeji Castle without the crowds, I recommend staying in Himeji itself (note that hotels are limited so book early) or nearby. This will give you 1-2h headstart on those visiting from Okayama / Kobe and means you can also watch the sunrise (I think it is worth the early start!).
The castle itself opens at 8:30am during sakura season (9am otherwise and entrance fee is JPY 1,000) but the rest of the castle grounds (with lots of sakura) is accessible before opening time. All the photos taken in this post were outside of the ticketed area. I highly recommend arriving before opening time to explore the castle grounds and then be the first in line for tickets when castle opens. Himeji Castle is often touted as one of the best sakura spots in Japan so during peak season, it gets very busy and you may have to wait to buy tickets (which cannot be reserved in advance and must be bought at the entrance - see FAQs here). By comparison, on the morning I visited, there were probably around 10 other sunrise seekers so it was very peaceful!
Will you be adding Himeji to your Japan spring itinerary? If you have visited Himeji - how did you find it? Let me know in the comments below!