The Takeda Castle Ruins are rare examples of mountaintop castle ruins. The castle is also called a “lying tiger castle” because it resembles a lying tiger. When morning mist arises on a sunny early-morning in the late fall, its shape wraps around the surrounding sea of clouds and brings to mind a great castle floating through the the sky. At some point, it came to be known by the names, the “Castle in the Sky” and the “Japanese Machu Picchu.”

Mt. Shosha Engyoji Temple is a historical Buddhist temple in the mountains of Himeji city. It is one of the 33 temples of the Kannon Pilgrimage Route in the Kansai region. You can hike up the mountain or take a ropeway right up to the temple's entrance. The temple buildings are spread over a large area on the mountain top, so it will take you some time to explore the whole complex. One of the highlights is the beautiful wooden Maniden hall that is a 20-30 minutes walk away from the ropeway station. Mt. Shosha and the Engyoji Temple has been used as a filming locations for various movies, including the Hollywood blockbuster The Last Samurai because of their scenic location and the atmospheric historical buildings.

Himejijo Castle was registered as a World Cultural Heritage site in 1993. Whereas many of the castles registered as World Heritage sites are built of stone or brick, in Himeji Castle, the main buildings are built of wood, excluding the moat and stone walls. It can be said that its architectural style and design are invaluable and unparalleled anywhere in the world. Where, a wood design would normally be a detriment in that any wood building would suffer a lack of longevity, Himejijo Castle's survival in spite of this only adds to its allure. When spring comes, the periphery of Himeji Castle is enveloped in about 1,000 cherry trees, and the view seen from the tower of Himeji Castle has been selected as one of “Japan’s Top 100 Cherry Blossom Spots.”