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- Himeji Castle, The Set of The Last Samurai or Engyoji Temple
Himeji Castle, The Set of The Last Samurai or Engyoji Temple
In 1993, Himeji Castle was designated as the first World Cultural Heritage site in Japan. Because of its striking beauty and elegance, it is popularly known as the "White Egret castle", but in fact it was an impregnable fortress.
Next, I would like to introduce you Engyoji Temple, where the movie "Last Samurai" starring Tom Cruise and Ken Watanabe was shot. The temple is located about 6 kilometers northwest from the Castle. We can take a bus and a ropeway from Himeji station to the Temple.
Hideo Y.
Meeting Point
at your hotel in Kobe or Osaka
Engyoji Temple
It was placed in the set of "Last Samurai."
Himeji Castle
Because of its striking beauty and elegance, it is popularly known as the "White Egret castle"
Kokoen Garden
Feudal Lord Garden of Himeji Castle
Ending Point
at your hotel in Kobe or Osaka
What to Expect
First, I would like to introduce you to the most famous castle in Japan.
In 1993, Himeji Castle was designated as the first World Cultural Heritage site in Japan. Because of its striking beauty and elegance, it is popularly known as the "White Egret castle", but in fact it was an impregnable fortress.
The entire castle is protected by massive walls of stones and the individual stones of all sizes are fitted together with superb skill. The path leading to the base of donjon is narrow, winding and runs uphill. As the crow flies, the distance from the first gate to the tower is about 130 meters, but attackers would have to climb a route at least three times longer. This woud confuse the attackers, leaving them exhausted or demoralizes.
Himeji Castle is one of the few castles that still has some of its original parts while other castles were destroyed during World War Ⅱ. In fact Himeji Castle had been in repair since 2009. The restoration work has finished and the restoration facilities are now being dismantled. The Castle will be open to the public on March 27th 2015 (this year!). . . Don't miss it !!
Next, I would like to introduce you Engyoji Temple, where the movie "Last Samurai" starring Tom Cruise and Ken Watanabe was shot. The temple is located about 6 kilometers northwest from the Castle. We can take a bus and a ropeway from Himeji station to the Temple, taking about an hour. The precinct has a large Maniden, a big Lecture Hall, Jikido, or which was used in the Last Samurai, and other buildings. You can see a panoramic view of the entire city of Himeji.
Why don't you visit Himeji Castle and Engyoji Temple with me?
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Inclusions & Exclusions
guide fee
・My transportation fee (2,000JPY) from Sannomiya to Himeji.
・Our trasportation fee (you and your guide) in Himeji is about 600JPY/person.
・ lunch
・ Your entrance fee about 2,000JPY/person
Important Information
I guide you Sapporo, Furano, Otaru, Hakodate in Hokkaido / Aomori in Hokuriku / Miyazaki, Nagasaki, Kagoshima in Kyushu / Kochi, Matsuyama in Shikoku / Tottori, Shimane, Kanazawa, Sakaiminato in Japan Sea side. Please get in touch with me!!
Thank you.
Cancellation Policy
- Free cancellation - 8 days prior to meeting time
- 50% Refund - 3 to 7 days prior to meeting time
- No Refund - Within 2 day(s) prior to meeting time
Frequently Asked Questions
Could you tell us how much transportation fee and entrance fee are ?
(1) Our transportation fee ;
・Between Osaka and Himeji is abou 3,000JPY/person.
・Between Kobe Sannomiya and Himeji is
about 2,000JPY/person.
(2) Your entrance fee ; 2,050yen per person.
Reviews
Dave W.
“ Kyoto Tour ”
Hideo was a fantastic guide for our recent visit to both Hakone and Kyoto. He was very knowledgeable and flexible as we had to make a lot of last minute modifications to accommodate our travel and dinner plans. It was a wonderful experience and we would highly recommend him to anybody looking for a great guide.
Hideo Y.
Thank you for your excellent review. In Hakone we could enjoy 4 different vehicles such as tozan train, cable car, ropeway, and pirate ship. At Owakudani, we could watch volcanic smoke rising up. In Kyoto we "were blessed with good weather. Your child could easily lift up a magical round stone called Omokaruishi" in Fushimi lnari Taisha. I'm sure his dream will soon come true. I wish you and your family all the best.
Kathleen V.
“ A catered tour from a passionate, kind tour guide ”
Hideo was great for our family of six. He listened to our requests and preferences and curated an itinerary for us that gave us the mix of history, education, and cultural experiences that we were looking for. He provided visual maps, took care of all of our ticket purchases, provided additional details that were informative and interesting to each place and in general was warm, kind and funny. He’s a great tour guide!
Hideo Y.
I'm very happy to receive your excellent review. Fortunately we could see the great vermillion torii gate that looks like floating on the sea at high tide. I was amazed that your children were interested in Japanese culture. They played Kurogo who manipulated Bunraku dolls. Bunraku is the traditional Japanese puppet theater. We enjoyed having Okonomiyaki, or a popular local food, for dinner. I wish you and all your family good health, happiness and success in the business.
Donna H.
“ Poor weather.. poor touring ”
Unfortunately the day of our scheduled tour was also the worst weather of our entire trip. It rained buckets. We were only able to go to 2 of the scheduled sites. One of which was the Arashiyama Bamboo Forrest which was pretty miserable due to the rain. The second was to Nijo Castle. Nijo castle was interesting and Hideo was quite knowledgeable regarding the castle history. We had inquired on the evening prior if the tour would still be occurring as we had been informed that there was a typhoon that may occur. We did not receive a response so the tour started the following morning as scheduled. There were 11 of us and at the total price we paid, the tour should have been cancelled. Especially since we were only able to visit 2 of the 5 sites originally included with the tour. I do believe if the weather was better the tour would have been interesting and as expected. However, given that this is a walking tour much more consideration should be given to the weather and the ability to at least complete the tour. Understandably, weather is not under anyone’s control but for $216 plus a bunch of train and bus tickets and the 1500yen for Hideos commute was truly not worth it. It should have been cancelled or we should have at least been offered a partial refund. Take your chances if you book this tour….
Hideo Y.
Thank you for your review message. On the tour day, the thphoon was approaching, so I knew the tour condition was not good, but I thought that I felt sorry to cancel the tour contrary to your expectation. I was going to do my best efforts to guide the tour. You mentioned I didn't response to your question, but I sent my reply to pick you up. We visited 3 of the first 5 sites (Bamboo forest, Tenryuji Temple and Nijojo Castle). Totally we visted 4 sites including Nishiki food market. I'd like you not to take bad weather into consideration about my review grade. ** Lastly I would say the following. ・I will check next time with the customer if they are comfortable proceeding in case of any unexpected weather disturbance. ・ I appreciate your feedback and will use it to improve my guiding experience. Thank you.
Gena J.
“ Hinshin Tigers Baseball Game ”
Hideo is very organized and prompt. He got our game tickets ahead of time and I paid him the night of the game. He picked us up at our hotel, got us on the right train and into the stadium perfectly. We sat in the outfield bleachers but really any seat in that stadium is good. During the game he shared some history and facts about the tigers. When the game was over there was a massive crowd headed out and I thought to myself, this will take forever. I was wrong, the Japanese have crowd movement down to a science. Hideo got us back on the right train and we didn't wait that long at all. All in all it was a lot of fun!
Hideo Y.
I'm sure you enjoyed Japanese baseball game. In the bottom of the 7th inning, fans of Hanshin Tigers supported by waving towels, flags and singing the team song. Before the pnademic, fans enegetically flied balloons. When you come back to Japan, undoubtly we'll be able to see balloons flying. I wish you all the best in the future.