Himeji

Himeji's main attractions are its gorgeous castle, one of the largest wooden structures in the world, built in the late 1500s, and Mount Shoshazan, a temple with a history of over 1,000 years.

Because of its picturesque old Japanese appearance, Himeji has been used for filming many Japanese and foreign movies; props from these films, including "The Last Samurai," can be found in the JR station information center.

Tourist information site:

Visit Himeji is the city's official multilingual guide site.

By plane:

Kansai International Airport (KIX IATA is 126 km southeast of Himeji and is the closest major international airport. Airport Limousine Buses operate every 1-2 hours between the airport and Himeji station (2 hr 20 min, ¥3300 one-way/¥5150 round-trip). More expensive, but free for users of the Japan Rail Pass, is to take the JR Haruka limited express to Shin-Osaka and transfer to the shinkansen (1 hr 45 min, ¥5020). It's also possible to buy a one-day JR Kansai Area Pass (¥2300) to reach Himeji in around 2 hours using a combination of the Haruka and the Special Rapid Service.

Osaka Itami International Airport (ITM IATA is 85km east of Himeji. Buses operate eight times per day between the airport and Himeji station (1 hr 20 min, ¥2160). If you can't catch a direct bus, take a bus to Shin-Osaka instead (25 min, ¥500) and change to the JR line (1 hr, ¥1490 by Special Rapid Service, or 30 min, ¥3220 by shinkansen).

Kobe Airport (UKB IATA is 65km southeast of Himeji, but has fewer flight options than the airports in Osaka. To reach Himeji, take the Port Liner to Sannomiya and change to the JR Special Rapid Service (75 min, ¥1300).

By train:

Himeji is along the Sanyo Shinkansen Line (山陽新幹線) from Osaka and Kobe to Okayama and Hiroshima. The Sakura and Hikari offer frequent service to Himeji within the Sanyo region, as do the all-stopping Kodama trains. Since the station is elevated, it is possible to see Himeji Castle from a passing train.

From Tokyo, one Nozomi train per hour runs through to Himeji (3 hr, ¥16160), otherwise you have to change at Shin-Osaka. If you have a Japan Rail Pass, there is also one Hikari train departing each hour, running through to Himeji, which you can take at no charge (3 hr 40 min).

The overnight Sunrise Izumo/Sunrise Seto from Tokyo stops at Himeji. If you have a Japan Rail Pass, you can book a carpeted floor space at no charge; otherwise you can travel in a compartment or room by paying the applicable room fee and surcharges.