Himeji and Okayama Castle same day?

Hello,

I wanted to know if it would be possible to see Himeji Castle and Okayama Castle in the same day? I really want to see Himeji Castle and happened to read the Okayama Castle was close by. I'll be in Kyoto for 3 days so I was thinking I could use 1 day to see both castles. I'll be in Tokyo for 7 days so my other option would be to leave from Tokyo but I think thats a 3 or 4 hr train ride to Himeji.

Any advice / suggestions would be great. Thank you - Ruby ^_^

It would be possible if you were to travel by Shinkansen, about 2 to 2.5 hours roundtrip. It would still be possible by local/Limited express trains, but this would be nearer to 7 hours traveling and would cut down on the amount of time spent at each location. By Shinkansen would cost around 15,000 Yen, and between about 7,500 and 12,500 Yen using local/LE trains.

You can visit Himeji and Okayama Castles in one day. It's best if you do this from Kyoto as it's only about 1 hr to Himeji on the Shinkansen. On your way back to Kyoto, stop over at Okayma, about 30 minutes on the Shinkansen. Then, about 1 hr 30 minutes from Okayama to Kyoto.

The above routing appears to minimize your travel time but you should compare this routing to going from Kyoto to Okayama to Himeji and Himeji back to Kyoto to see which routing is better.

If from Tokyo, ADD 2 hrs 45 minutes just 1-way to Kyoto or 5.5 hours round trip.

Unless you have a packed schedule for Tokyo, you may want to add 1 more day in Kyoto to visit Himeji & Okayama Castles. Then, 6 days in Tokyo instead of 7.

This is just something for you to consider. After all, there are a lot to see in Kyoto and 2 days may not be enough.

My understanding is to see the garden at Okayama, with the Black castle as "borrowed scenery", as the castle itself is not overly interesting (I may be very wrong though). And also that Himeji is currently under restoration for some time, with scaffolding and covering

Hello everyone,

Thanks for the responses.

I think Uji responded in another forum question that they won't start the scaffolding until late summer/early fall. I guess I'll have to double check that. I was also thinking maybe I could see Himeji on the way to Tokyo when we leave Kyoto. But lugging our baggage around would be a problem.

I'll have to ask my cousins if its something they want to see also. I'll work this out somehow! I hope :)

rubyred, Himeji is NOT between Tokyo and Kyoto..it is past Kobe, on the way to Hiroshima. I agree that you should skip 1 or even 2 days in Tokyo and add them to your trip in the Kyoto area as the Kansai is the true historical heart of Japan, not Tokyo (and Osaka is a vibrant modern city, with a few very important historical sights). If Himeji is shrouded in scaffolding, try Hikone near Kyoto. also an authentic castle, much smaller than Himeji, but nice to look at too, especially from the pond at the bottom of the hill. see http://www.reggie.net/photo.php?albid=517&ph=2060695

Hey Monkey -

I'll be working on our itinerary this weekend so if we can't see Himeji than I'll go with your suggestion :). I already have the hotels booked for Kyoto and Tokyo and it was tough getting those dates for 3 people. So I was hesitant about switching the days for Kyoto. I was hoping to just do a few day trips from Tokyo but like everyone said its a good 3 to 4 hrs each way for Himeji. Thanks for the info. (I'll be sure to look over the map more carefully this time) ^_^