A Day Trip To Himeji And Kobe From Kyoto - The Ultimate Guide

Looking for day trip ideas to do from Kyoto or Osaka? I’ve got you covered. In this blog, I will share everything you need to know to go on a day trip to Himeji and Kobe.

Initially, we had planned to visit Himeji on our return trip from Hiroshima to Kyoto, but we ended up spending too much time in Hiroshima and had to cancel this idea. However, we managed to squeeze in our visits in Kyoto and decided to do a day trip to Himeji and complete it with a stop in Kobe to enjoy its delicious beef.

HIMEJI & KOBE

Himeji

The beautiful city of Himeji is in the Hyogo Prefecture in Japan. It is mostly famous for its beautiful white castle, considered one of Japan’s most beautiful surviving feudal castles.

Here are some interesting facts about Himeji that you might not know about.

Himeji is popularly known as the White Heron City since its citizens think the castle resembles a heron gracefully flying in the sky.
The city is a popular destination for Hanami (cherry blossom season). Many cherry trees surround the castle making it a must-visit place in spring.

Kobe

Kobe is the capital of Hyogo Prefecture and it is located in Osaka Bay, between the sea and the Rokko mountainous range and the sea. Most people visiting Japan, skip this city and those who include it in their itineraries do so to taste the world-famous Kobe beef. However, there is more to this Japanese city than Kobe Beef, we were positively surprised by what we saw and wished we had spent some extra time here.

Photo from Perttu Lähteenlahti in Unsplash

Here are some lesser-known facts about Kobe:

Did you know karaoke originated in Kobe? Daisuke Inoue, the inventor of Karaoke got the idea for the karaoke machine when he was asked to play background music for a businessman who wanted to impress his colleagues with his singing.
In Kobe you can also find the longest suspension bridge ever built, the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge. The bridge can withstand earthquakes and tsunamis.
Jazz music is very popular in Kobe. The famous Luis Armstrong played here many times.

GETTING TO HIMEJI & KOBE

How to reach Himeji?

Himeji is located more or less halfway between Kyoto and Hiroshima. For this reason, many travelers in Japan decide to visit it as a stop between these two places. To reach it, all you have to do is get on a Shinkansen train from the Tokaido Sanyo line.

From Kyoto or Osaka, it will take you approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes to get to Himeji.
From Hiroshima, it will take 1 hour to get to Himeji.
If you have a JR Pass, these train rides will be completely covered by it. Just remember the Nozomi and Mizuho services are only partially included and if you get on those you will have to pay a supplement.

How to reach Kobe?

Kobe is located between Himeji and Osaka, which makes it a perfect stop to complete your day visit to Himeji. To get to Kobe, same as for Himeji, you need to get on a Shinkansen train from the Tokaido Sanyo line.

From Himeji, it will take you 15 minutes to reach Shin-Kobe Station.
From Kyoto or Osaka, it will take you 30 minutes to reach Shin-Kobe Station.
If you have a JR Pass, these train rides will be completely covered by it. Just remember the Nozomi and Mizuho services are only partially included and if you get on those you will have to pay a supplement.

Important: If you’re visiting Kobe, you have to know that Kobe Train Station is not the same one as the Shin-Kobe Station. Shinkansen trains only stop at Shin-Kobe Station. Both stations are approximately 30 minutes walk from each other.

HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU NEED TO VISIT?

How much time do you need to visit Himeji?

The perfect amount of time to visit Himeji is half a day. In half a day we were able to explore the castle at our own pace (without rushing) as well as the Koko-en Gardens and eat lunch.

How much time do you need to visit Kobe?

Even though it is less visited, there are more things to do in Kobe than in Himeji. Therefore, I would recommend spending at least a day in Kobe to get a better sense of the city.

In our case, we only spent half a day here and we were only able to do two activities here. I wished we would have had a bit more time to explore this city.

A DAY TRIP TO HIMEJI AND KOBE

Here is everything we did during our day trip to Himeji and Kobe. Like in all of my blog posts, these are what we did but there are other things that you can do (especially in Kobe). At the end of this blog, I will list some other options in case you want to modify this itinerary or if you have some extra time in the area.

Arriving in Himeji and First Sighting of the Castle

As soon as we arrived in Himeji, we headed directly to our main event of the day, visiting Himeji Castle. The castle is not very far from the Shinkansen train station, approximately 10 minutes walking. As soon as you step out of the train station, you can already see it in the distance.

Even though this is not the best view you will get of the castle, it is quite a contrast between the modern city and the historic castle.

Views of the Castle from Shiromidai Park

Before entering the castle, we took a little detour to Shiromidai Park. From here, you can get a fantastic view of the castle in between a sculpture made with two Sachihoko from the castle’s roof.

Sachihoko is a Japanese mythological animal with the body of a carp fish and the head of a tiger. Sculptures of this animal frequently decorate the roofs of Japanese castles. In the feudal era, people believed that these animals would attract rain and protect the wooden buildings from fire.

Shirasaginomiya Gokoku Shrine

Right next to Shiromidai Park and the entrance to the castle, you can find Gokoku Shrine. The shrine is quite small but since we were there, we took some time to visit it.

Even though the road next to the shrine was quite busy, as soon as we crossed the entrance torii gate, it felt like we had entered a peaceful oasis.

Himeji Castle

Himeji Castle is considered Japan’s best-preserved feudal castle. In fact, it is one of Japan’s twelve original castles that are still standing. Despite many adverse situations, it has never been destroyed by war, an earthquake, or a fire.

The castle is located over a small hill and surrounded by flat lands, which is known as Hirayama-Jiro style. It is a clear example of how Japanese castles were built in the feudal period, with a big defensive tower that was full of doors, small corridors, secret rooms, and protective walls. All of this, together with the maze-like walls and moats, made it really difficult to invade the castle.

During the first part of the castle visit, you get to explore the gardens and different walls and barriers used as a maze to confuse enemies attacking the castle. Actually, if the way to visit the castle was not marked for visitors, I might have gotten lost too!

Inside the castle’s main tower, you get to explore 5 floors in which they explain to you the defensive methods that were used in the castle and how it was built. In addition, from the higher floors, you get to enjoy fantastic views of the castle’s gardens, protective walls, and of course Himeji.

Out of all the castles we visited in Japan, Himeji Castle was my absolute favorite. Not only was it impressive and beautiful, but it was also very informative and interesting to visit. If you are hesitating whether you should make a stop at Himeji, I definetely recommend that you do!

Practical information

The castle’s opening hours are between 9:00 and 17:00 from September until May and between 9:00 and 18:00 from June until August.
Tickets to visit the castle cost 1000 yen per person. However, it is also possible to get a combined ticket for the castle and the Koko-en Gardens for 1050 yen per person. You can check the latest updated information at the official Himeji Castle website.
Inside the castle there are no lifts and you have to go up and down very steep stairs. The castle is not suitable for people with mobility issues.
To visit the castle, you will have to take of your shoes.
It is not possible to eat inside the castle as well as the castle grounds. Be respectful of the site you are visiting.

Koko-en Gardens

Once we were done visiting the castle, it was time to visit Koko-en Gardens. These gardens are located right next to the castle, where the former feudal west residence used to be. They consist of 9 different types of gardens with different styles used during the Edo period.

The gardens were so peaceful and beautiful. During the visit, we found many photogenic spots, little ponds full of koi fish, small waterfalls, bamboo trees, etc. Every single square meter of the gardens was carefully designed and maintained.

Practical information:

The gardens are open daily between 9:00 and 17:00.
Admission tickets are 310 yen per person. In the same for the tickets for Himeji Castle, you can get a combined ticket for both sites for 1050 yen per person.
Always check the latest updated information at Koko-en Gardens’ official website.

Train to Kobe

After lunch, it was time to head to Kobe. When booking the trains, I made a mistake, and instead of getting on a Shinkansen to Shin-Kobe station, we got on a regular train to Kobe Station. We were not in a hurry so we just enjoyed the train ride, which was over 30 minutes. However, I hope you don’t make the same mistake as us and save some time with the Shinkansen.

Nunobiki Herb Gardens

Once in Kobe, we spent our afternoon visiting Nunobiki Herb Gardens. These are Japan’s largest herb gardens with around 75,000 herbs and flower kinds that bloom throughout the year.

The gardens are located on top of a hill so if you want to visit them, you have to hike or take the Nunobiki ropeway. We intended to take the ropeway to get to the top and then hike down to Kobe. However, by the time we finished visiting the gardens, it was already getting dark so in the end, we used the ropeway both ways.

We really enjoyed visiting these herb gardens, especially since one of my hobbies at home is growing my own herbs and veggies. However, the best part of the visit was, without a doubt, the views you get over Kobe and the bay. Next to the intermediate gondola station were some hammocks where we relaxed, watched the city light up, and enjoyed the views.

Practical information:

The ropeway operating hours and garden opening hours are available on the Nunobiki Herb Gardens website.
Ticket fares for the ropeway and gardens are also available on the Nunobiki Herb Gardens website.

Kobe Beef

Kobe Beef is, without a doubt the most famous Japanese Wagyu beef in the world. We could not finish our day and our visit to Kobe without trying it in the city that gives it its name.

There are many restaurants in Kobe where you can taste this delicious meat but you should know it is definitely not a cheap experience. This experience was worth it for us, and the meat lived up to its hype.

The restaurant we chose was Steak Land, near the Sannomiya station in Kobe. Out of all the restaurants in Kobe, this is the one known to have the most competitive prices and we loved the experience. We sat at a table with a grill in front of us at which a chef prepared the meat. All you have to do is choose the kind of meat you want to eat. With it, you get a bowl of rice, soup, grilled vegetables and coffee. The meat was absolutely delicious!

MAP WITH ALL LOCATIONS

And that’s it for this week’s blog. I hope you liked it and found it useful. Let me know what you think in the comments!

DISCLAIMER: Did you know? This blog uses affiliate partnerships. When you click and book or make a purchase through one of my blog posts, I may receive a small commission (at no extra cost to you). Thank you for supporting The Travelling Hiker!

A Day Trip To Himeji And Kobe From Kyoto – The Ultimate Guide

TABLE OF CONTENTS