Himeji Castle, Himeji

One of Japan's most famous castles. Visited back in 2018 and was blown away by the size of the castle, it is deft at least twice the size of any of the other castles I visited during this trip. There's more to the visit than just the castle itself. The castle grounds are beautiful and well looked after. There's a museum within the castle itself and there's also several sections where you can do a self guided tour which goes through history of the castle and what each of the sections purpose was. Overall, an excellent experience and a must visit for anyone travelling to Japan.

The interior of this castle has been preserved, so that it looks as it did when originally built and used (in contrast, the interior of the Osaka castle has essentially been turned into a modern museum). Walking up the very narrow, very steep wooden steps of Himeji castle, you really get the sense of vertigo when each staircase step is so steep! Definitely not for anyone with mobility issues. Otherwise, an excellent way to experience the past!