Should we visit Himeji on autumn 2012?

Hello,

We plan to travel Japan during autumn 2012 and we wish to visit a Japanese castle.
We wanted to know if there will be any restriction to visit any parts of Himeji's interiors.
Do you recommend us to visit another castle instead of Himeji because of the renovation works?
We are going to travel from Tokyo in the east to Hiroshima in the west but Matsumoto is a bit out of our track. We will consider a visit if it is very recommended.

Thank you!

We wanted to know if there will be any restriction to visit any parts of Himeji's interiors.

As of now, the interior of the castle is fully closed to tourists. Possible until the end of renovations.

Do you recommend us to visit another castle instead of Himeji because of the renovation works?

If you have never seen a Japanese castle before, yes, definitely I would recommend to see a castle that you can actually see. But if you have seen many castles before and are a castle fan, visiting Himeji Castle during the construction works can also be a worthwhile experience.

We are going to travel from Tokyo in the east to Hiroshima in the west but Matsumoto is a bit out of our track. We will consider a visit if it is very recommended.

Matsumoto is, indeed, a very good alternative. And it is not that much of a detour compared to visiting any other original castle. You can simply travel from Tokyo to Kyoto via Matsumoto.

Another good alternative is Hikone, which you could also visit on your way between Tokyo and Kyoto with a little bit less of a detour (or as a side trip from Kyoto):
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e7000.html

Thanks a lot!

We wanted to know if there will be any restriction to visit any parts of Himeji's interiors.


Extra information here:

http://www.himejijo-syuri.jp/en/index.html

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3501.html

Everyone's interest is different but I would go to Hikone or Matsumoto as other original castles. Hikone from Kyoto is faster and cheaper to access than Matsumoto from Tokyo. It is a nice castle, although smaller, has a good view of the lake from the top, a small museum and the street of shops and restaurants was really nice, we had a lovely meal there in a small upstairs restaurant.

We went in winter with quite a bit of snow on the ground but I understand that the gardens are good too at other times of year.

Cool.
We will probably go for Hikone.
Toni, do you by any chance remember anything by which we can identify the restaurant?
Thanks a lot!

Well if you are going to be in Hiroshima, Matsuyama castle is also an option. You can take the superjet ferry from Hiroshima to Matsuyama in about 70 minutes direct or closer to 90 minutes if it stops at Kure on the way.