Himeji, Japan Hotels, Vacations, Tourism

By far the most impressive of Japan's twelve surviving feudal-era fortresses is the one in HIMEJI , 55km west of Kobe, the memorable backdrop to the Bond adventure You Only Live Twice as well as countless samurai dramas. The splendid gabled donjons of Himeji-jo – also known as Shirasagi-jo, or "white egret castle" because the complex is supposed to resemble the shape of the bird in flight – miraculously survived the World War II bombings that laid waste to much of the rest of the city. Himeji is best visited as a day-trip: after you've explored the castle, it's also worth taking in … more »