One of the many legacies of the late, great Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Himeji Castle is the best preserved castle in Japan and offers an interesting alternative to the well-beaten sightseeing paths found in Kyoto, Osaka and Nara.

Although the feudal era is long gone, and the castle is now filled with gawking tourists rather than servants and samurai, Himeji-jo provides a glimpse into the life of Japans ancient Shogun warlords. Designated a national treasure in 1931, and a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1992, Himeji is a classic example of Japanese castle architecture. Nicknamed `Shirasagi-jo`, or `White Heron Castle`, the complex is distinctive for its white plaster coating, which serves both as reinforcement of the wooden structures, and as a fire retardant.

However, Himeji Castle was originally built as a formidably defensive structure. Construction of a fort was begun in 1333 by the ruler of the Harima district, Norimura Akamatsu. In 1577, Oda Nobunaga took control of the region and placed Toyotomi Hideyoshi in charge. Toyotomi then drew up plans to convert the fort into a modern castle. After the Battle of Sekigahara in 1603, the Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu installed his son-in-law, Ikeda Terumasa, as ruler of the three provinces of Harima, Bizen and Awaji, with Himeji Castle as his seat. These provinces had supported the Toyotomi clan against the Tokugawa clan, and Ikeda began a reconstruction of the castle that would demonstrate the might of the Tokugawa rulers and make the complex extremely difficult to conquer.

The 15-meter sloping stone walls are difficult to scale, and make it impossible to see clear to the top of the castle from their base. They also have numerous concealed openings (ishiotoshi) to pour boiling water or stones onto hapless attackers, and circular, rectangular and triangular holes (sama) from which arrows and various other projectiles can be shot.

The internal layout of the castle grounds is constructed as a maze, with 180-turns, dead-ends and sloping steps that would confuse anyone unfamiliar with the layout. The 84 gates throughout have small entryways, making it difficult for large numbers of people to pass through quickly. The main castle keep (daitenshu) sits atop Mt. Hime and is an impressive five stories high. It is connected to three smaller keeps (kotenshu) by long passage-turrets (watariyagura).

Ironically, Himeji-Jo was spared from the bombing during World War II that destroyed most of the castles in Japan.

The entire complex takes a couple of hours to walk around assuming you don’t get lost! Free English-speaking guides are available from the ticket office, but are subject to availability.

Just across the moat on the western side of Himeji-jo is Koko-en, a beautiful reconstruction of the former samurai quarters of the castle. The site was built in 1992 on the exact location where the old residences once stood. This complex contains nine separate gardens, each housing various types of trees and flowers, waterfalls and ponds. There is also a bamboo garden, a restaurant and a teahouse, where visitors can relax and enjoy the pleasant surroundings.

Himeji provides a quick and relatively cheap way to gain a much better understanding of life in feudal Japan and is a must-see for those interested in Japanese history and architecture.