Himeji castle open again
Himeji castle is probably the most famous castle in Japan, and also the biggest and the one with most visitors. After spending several years being restored from March 2011, it’s entirely open again to the public, with no more scaffolding, so you can enjoy the view!
Himeji-jô, one of medieval Japan’s oldest buildings, is part of UNESCO’s world heritage and a cultural treasure of Japan. It is set in Himeji, in Hyôgo prefecture. It’s one of the only 3 wood castles still existing to this day in Japan, along with Matsumoto’s and Kumamoto’s. It’s sometimes called Shirasagi-jô, the white heron’s castle, because of its color.
Himeji-jô construction project dates back to 1346 but it will be completed several centuries later. The current dungeon, for instance, has been built in 1580. Though Himeji city was bombed in 1945, the castle was not damaged.
Himeji-jô is one of movie directors’ favorite spots and it can be seen in many films, such as Akira KUROSAWA’s Ran and Kagemusha, or in the James Bond film You Only Live Twice.
For the last few years, Himeji-jô was only partly open to the public because of the restoration since March 2011 and the many scaffoldings partly hid the view. The castle has finished being restored and is opening again to the public these days, so you can visit the whole of it, its dungeon, its walls and the wide gardens around it.
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