Himeji is a city in Japan that I actually really like even though I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it to most people. It’s got a lot going against it right off the bat. Apparently, it used to be a pretty vibrant place during the bubble and there were a lot of factories, jobs and people there. Since then, Himeji has tapered off into a city that feels like nobody has done anything with in the past 20 years, which is essentially what it is.
If you’re a tourist, Himeji is famous for sweets, certain varieties of sake, yuzu and the castle. I can’t tell you very much about any of those things, but there are dozens of other websites that can. You can go to the tourist centre in the station. It’s really helpful. But if you don’t care about those things, here are some other reasons to go:
☆ Himeji Castle, obvsly （姫路城）The castle is really the only reason most tourists go to Himeji, and it really is beautiful. It’s the nicest looking castle I’ve seen in Japan. Unfortunately, it has been under construction for almost two years and the construction won’t finish until spring 2014 so all you can really see is this hideous acrylic blanket with a stenciled picture of a castle on top of it. It’s so bad looking that it’s actually kind of hilarious. They have draped this blanket over the castle, so it will show up in any pictures you take. But at least Himeji castle doesn’t have an elevator running up the side of it like Osaka’s castle does.
☆ Crumbly old buildings everywhereYou can take some interesting pictures in Himeji. It’s a faded city full of abandoned buildings and places that used to be popular but are now just barely getting by. There are a lot of buildings overgrown by vines and the sidewalks have cracks. Sometimes you can find dirty-looking looking 80s murals on the walls of buildings. I took the picture above on a night where the sky suited the building perfectly.
☆ People watchingThe people in Himeji match the buildings in Himeji. There are a lot of old people in Himeji. There are also a lot of young, bored Yankii types racing motorcycles down the main roads and sitting in loud groups outside convenience stores. There are a lot of derelict-looking areas full of SNACKS, cheap hostess bars and Korean massage parlours. There are a lot of hair extensions, orangey blondes and bad perms. Summer is for Crocs and winter is for Uggs. It’s a dirty, suburban feel. I would never want to live in Himeji, but I really like visiting it.
☆ Rent a BicycleBecause the castle is under construction, Himeji’s tourism industry is obviously not doing well, which means there are lot of special incentives for you if you go. The best thing is probably the free bicycle rental. There is a place under Himeji station where you can rent bikes for free, and then there are two other places very close to the station that will rent bikes to you for under 500 yen. Bicycles are a great way to see Himeji because the area is so flat. There are loads of abandoned buildings and deserted areas to explore in Himeji. The monorail in the photo above, which ran only from 1966-1974, is a good example.
"Toufuyou / 豆腐よう"
☆ The Okinawan placeThere is a really small Okinawa bar/restaurant that can only seat about five people. It’s kind of in the middle of nowhere, on the edge of a piece of land where a now-torn-down building used to be. The only buildings close to it are crumbly old love hotels from the seventies and a taxi parking garage with a broken window. But the food is good and the staff is actually from Okinawa and there’s free candy piled in bowls along the counter and it was full of Korean girls eating like it was their last night on earth. And it’s open until 3 AM or until whenever the customers leave and the staff feel like closing it. Nice.
☆ ENTER espresso bar エンターGoing to a café in Japan isn’t usually a very good experience for me. Espresso is notoriously bad and most cafes are really smoky and crowded. If you want a non-smoking café, they are either really cutesy and no guys are ever there or you could go to Starbucks, which is really crowded and playing Norah Jones. Himeji has one of the most stylish looking cafés I’ve been to in Kansai. It’s called
ENTER.
ENTER is a really spacious, white warehouse-looking café near the station. It looks and feels like a place that should be in a bigger city like New York or Tokyo. The staff is stylish and pretty. The people close to me were smoking because I could see them smoking, but I couldn’t smell it or otherwise notice it because the place has high ceilings and great ventilation. It’s a good place to take Japanese friends, because there are a lot of drinks on the menu that you don’t usually see in Kansai. I didn’t try the espresso-flavored Patrón tequila, but it was on the menu. They have Heineken on tap if you like beer. The food is good. The espresso is (very unfortunately) not. The mixed coffee drinks are good. The atmosphere is excellent. Sometimes there are DJs and maybe parties. Here is the
ENTER Espresso Bar blog, which has a lot of pictures of the good-looking staff.
☆ Himeji Oden 姫路おでんIf you go to Japan in autumn or winter, Oden is the best food you can eat. If you don’t know what Oden is, it’s that stuff you see boiling in vats in front of the convenience store register during the cold months. (please don’t let that turn you off!) Oden is really simple and healthy – a bunch of vegetables, tofu varieties, eggs and other things boiled in a broth and left to simmer for hours. Himeji’s Oden is especially delicious because it’s eaten with soy sauce and ginger, making it really spicy. Japan’s mustard is called “Karashi” and it’s also very spicy.
Note for vegetarians: Most Oden isn’t actually suitable for vegetarians because the broth is made from fish stock, but most of the actual items floating in the broth contain no meat or fish. You could easily make vegan/vegetarian Oden at home using your own broth. There is a great recipe
right here.
☆ Cats sprawled out everywhereNear the castle, there is an area where all sorts of cats lay around during the day. Kind of cute.
☆ Himeji Zoo 姫路動物園The zoo is right near the castle. It only costs 200 yen to get in. The cages are pretty well-maintained and it’s not crowded there at all. You can see a lion, a giraffe and a polar bear. The parrot can say “OHAYO” so check that out.
☆ Thrift stores
Japan doesn’t usually have thrift stores because average Japanese people are squeamish about wearing other people’s old clothes. There are a lot of vintage stores all over Japan, but those are usually pretty expensive. Himeji has a lot of legitimate thrift shops with cheap prices and no quality control, so you can actually go treasure hunting like you would back home. Squished behind old BAPE hoodies and juicy couture knockoffs, you might find something you’d actually want to wear for next to nothing.
☆ Tamago-kake-gohan 播州姫路本町たまごやThere's a restaurant near the castle called TAMAGO-YA with possibly the freshest eggs in the world. And you can get Camembert cheese slices in your Tamago-kake-gohan. If you're squeamish about eating raw eggs but want to take the plunge, this is where to start.
Have you been to Himeji? Can you recommend anything to do there?
(Especially art galleries or nightlife-related places would be appreciated.)
Finally, I’m going to tell you that if you’re just visiting Japan for a short time, you might want to skip Himeji. That’s just my opinion. But if you live here and you’ve already been to Kyoto/Osaka/Kobe and you feel like going somewhere you’ve never been before, you may as well go to Himeji.
