Himeji and Okayama
Days 10 to 11, 1 night
Himeji and Okayama
Days 10 to 11, 1 night
A castle, a mountain temple almost nobody walks up to, and half a day in a great garden
The trip south is where this itinerary stops looking like everyone else's. Rather than going straight from Osaka to Kyoto, you make four stops that most first trips skip entirely, and one of them is a two day bike ride across six islands.
Buy the regional pass before you leave Osaka
Everything from here to Hiroshima runs on one ticket, the JR Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass. You get up to six reserved Shinkansen seats, unlimited unreserved travel inside the zone, and the ferry to Miyajima is included.
The real value is not the money, it is that you stop planning. We never booked a train more than a few minutes ahead. Finish your coffee, walk to the station, get on the next one.
For a leg with four stops in five days, that is worth more than the discount.
Day 10
Osaka to Himeji
Shinkansen from Osaka, and it is short. We were in Himeji by mid morning.
Himeji Castle first, because that is what you came for. The grounds and the gardens around it are stunning and you should give them time. The inside, and I say this as someone who wanted to love it, is an old wooden castle and not much more. Steep stairs, empty rooms. Do not block out half a day for the interior.
We ate on Otemae-dori, the main avenue between the station and the castle.
The best night we booked on the whole trip
We stayed at Shironoshita Guesthouse, run by a Japanese couple living there with their kid. We talked with them a bit, they were lovely, and it cost almost nothing.
It is the closest we got to staying in someone's home instead of a hotel. If you do one non-hostel night on this trip, do it here rather than in Kyoto, where the same money buys you a room and nothing else.
In the afternoon we went up into the mountains behind Himeji. You take a ropeway, then walk to the temple at the top.To confirmthe name of the mountain and the temple. From the ropeway I suspect Mount Shosha and Engyo-ji, but you said you would check, so I am leaving it open.It is one of the iconic walks in the region, and almost nobody who comes to Himeji for the day bothers with it, which is exactly why it is in this guide.
Day 11
Okayama in half a day, then Hiroshima
Coffee, then the station, then a train to Okayama. No booking, no stress, that is the pass doing its job.
We had not planned to stay long in Okayama and we were right not to. Leave your bags in the station lockers, rent a bike at the small rental place right next to the stationTo confirmwas the bike rental covered by the pass, or did you pay for it separately?, and ride to Korakuen.
Korakuen is one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan and it earns it. It is a proper botanical garden, not a temple courtyard with a pond, and it is worth the detour on its own. We did it fast and still came out glad we stopped.
Then back on a train to Hiroshima. We arrived early evening and did nothing with it, just walked the boulevard.
One thing to know before you land: Hiroshima runs on trams. They work, they go everywhere, and they are slow. Add time to everything you plan there.
Where to sleep
We stayed here
Himeji, guesthouse
The best night we booked on the whole trip. The best location, and the owners, a Japanese couple living there with their kid, were super nice. It cost almost nothing.To confirmwhat you actually paid per night.
Where we ate
Otemae-dori
Himeji
Lunch on the main avenue between the station and the castle
Getting around
Osaka to Himeji
Shinkansen, and it is short. We were there by mid morning
Covered by JR Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass
Himeji to Okayama
Train, no booking needed
Covered by JR Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass
Okayama station to Korakuen
Rental bike from the small place right next to the station
Covered by To confirmcovered by the pass, or paid separately?
Okayama to Hiroshima
Train, arriving early evening
Covered by JR Kansai-Hiroshima Area Pass
Skip this
The inside of Himeji Castle. The grounds and the gardens deserve your time, the interior is steep stairs and empty rooms. Do not block out half a day for it.
Okayama beyond Korakuen. Half a day is the right amount, and we were glad we did not plan more.