Himeji Castle
A hilltop castle regarded as the finest surviving example of early Japanese castle architecture, with 83 structures and elaborate defences. Its brilliant white walls earned it the name Shirasagi-jo, White Heron Castle, for its likeness to a bird taking flight.
- Where
- Himeji, Hyogo, Japan
- Grade
- UNESCO heritage
- Worth
- 10 points collected on site, plus 8 for its grade
- Coordinates
- 34.8394, 134.6936
Get the Himeji Castle stamp
Open LOQAH when you are at Himeji Castle. It checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp is yours: confirmed on site in gold and struck with the date. It goes into your Hyogo volume with your photos and a note.
Near Himeji Castle
Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan 70 km
An aquarium by Osaka Bay that was the largest public aquarium in the world when it opened in 1990. Visitors spiral down around a huge central tank representing the Pacific Ocean, home to a whale shark, past smaller tanks for the seas of the Pacific Rim.
Universal Studios Japan 70 km
A theme park on Osaka Bay that opened in 2001 as the first Universal Studios outside the United States. Alongside rides drawn from Universal's parks in Florida and Hollywood, it has a Super Nintendo World and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
Korakuen 72 km
A garden built in 1700 by Ikeda Tsunamasa, lord of Okayama, and one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan. Wide lawns, ponds and a small tea field lead the eye across the river to the black keep of Okayama Castle; it reached its present form in 1863.
Umeda Sky Building 74 km
Two 40-storey towers in Osaka's Umeda district, joined at the top by a ring-shaped deck and by escalators in glass tubes that cross the open air between them. The open-air Floating Garden Observatory up there looks across the city to Osaka Bay.
Dotonbori 76 km
Osaka's great nightlife strip, running along a canal through Namba and once the city's theatre district. Giant illuminated signs, the Glico running man among them, hang over the street, along with mechanical crabs and dragons above stalls selling takoyaki.
Naoshima 77 km
An island in the Seto Inland Sea known for contemporary art, with museums by Tadao Ando such as the Chichu Art Museum and works placed along its shores. Yayoi Kusama's spotted yellow pumpkin, sitting on a pier, has become its emblem.
Tsutenkaku 77 km
A 108-metre steel tower rising over the old Shinsekai district of Osaka, with its main observation deck at 91 metres. Up top sits Billiken, a smiling good-luck figure whose feet visitors rub for fortune, and the streets below are full of kushikatsu bars.
Sumiyoshi Taisha 77 km
The head shrine of all the Sumiyoshi shrines across Japan, in the south of Osaka. Its main halls give their name to the Sumiyoshi-zukuri style of shrine building, and a steeply arched red bridge, the Sorihashi, crosses the pond at the entrance.
Questions
Where is Himeji Castle?
Himeji Castle is in Himeji, Hyogo, Japan. The nearest other LOQAH stamps are Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan (70 km), Universal Studios Japan (70 km), Korakuen (72 km).
How do I get the Himeji Castle stamp?
Open LOQAH when you are at Himeji Castle and get its stamp. The app checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp goes into your Hyogo volume, confirmed on site, with the date.
I have been to Himeji Castle before. Can I still have the stamp?
Yes. Add it from Earlier trips in your Hyogo volume, with the date if you know it, or import your Google Timeline and LOQAH matches the places you were.
Collect your first stamp.
LOQAH is free on iPhone and Android, in India and 20 more countries, with more countries on the way. Stand at a place, collect its stamp, and keep every trip in a passport that grows.