Almost the quintessential Japanese castle, this imposing fortress is a perfect representation of not only the architecture of the Tokugawa period, but as a snapshot into that epoch.

Himeji Castle can be traced back to 1332, when Akamatsu Norimura erected a fort on Himeyama hill. It was taken down and rebuilt as Himeyama Castle in 1346, before being reworked into its present form in 1581 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi.