Himeji-Shi, Japan

Of Japan's twelve surviving feudal-era fortresses, by far the most impressive is the one in HIMEJI, 55km west of Kōbe. The fortress, Himeji-jō, made the memorable backdrop to the Bond adventure You Only Live Twice, as well as countless feudal-era dramas and the recent Tom Cruise film, The Last Samurai, part of which was filmed in the city. The splendid gabled donjons of Himeji-jō – also known as Shirasagi-jō, or "white egret castle", since 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 city, and in 1993 it was added to UNESCO's World Heritage list.

Himeji is best visited as a day-trip; after you've explored the castle, it's also worth getting a free rental bike and taking in the beautiful Himeji Kōko-en, nine linked traditional-style gardens, and a couple of intriguing museums around the fortress walls.