Himeji is an ancient castle town in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. It was elevated to the status of a city on April 1, 1889. Particularly worth seeing there is Himeji Castle (Himeji-jō), also called “White Heron Castle,” which is one of Japan’s national cultural treasures and was recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1993. The park around the castle is known as one of the particularly beautiful places for the cherry blossom festival Hanami and attracts many visitors every year. We made a day trip there from Kyōto on February the 22nd, 2023, unfortunately it was earlier than the cherry blossom.
