Ssislandgirl Posted August 13, 2017 #1 Share Posted August 13, 2017 Many fellow cruisers took advantage of this overnight stay in Kobe and traveled to Kyoto. Since we had previously visited Kyoto as part of our pre cruise Japan exploration, we decided to experience Himeji on our first afternoon in port. We arrived in Kobe on time and had a wonderful reception by the locals 20161017-DSC_0677 by Petra Graves, on Flickr Smaller ships were welcoming us with colorful water fountains 20161017-japan (44 of 77) by Petra Graves, on Flickr Miss Kobe was present at the pier to greet us and a band was performing They also released hundreds of balloons upon our arrival We felt very special for sure! We were able to leave the ship by 11am and were on our way to the train station. We used the port liner (tram) to get from the pier to Sannomiya JR Station where we boarded the JR Rapid Service to Himeji. The train runs more frequently (every 15 minutes) from late morning to early afternoon and the whole journey to Himeji took about 1 hour from the port. Our JR pass covered the rail road trip, but the port liner cost 210 yen per person. After exiting the station in Himeji we picked up a free tourist map and walked another 30 minutes to reach this beautiful castle. 20161017-japan (49 of 77) by Petra Graves, on Flickr 20161017-japan (47 of 77) by Petra Graves, on Flickr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ssislandgirl Posted August 13, 2017 Author #2 Share Posted August 13, 2017 Remarkably, the castle was never destroyed by earthquakes or war. The castle is about 600 years old and is one of the most significant wooden buildings in Japan. You will have to take your shoes off to enter the main structure and need to climb numerous steep and narrow staircases to make your way to the top. Each level gets significantly smaller as you ascend. The top floor houses a shrine from where you have a great view of the city. 20161017-japan (48 of 77) by Petra Graves, on Flickr The whole experience was a lot of fun and very interesting. After the castle we decided to explore Koko-En Gardens, a wonderful traditional Japanese garden with old Samurai Houses and Koi ponds. It is absolutely beautiful there and should not be missed! 20161018-DSC_0751 by Petra Graves, on Flickr 20161018-DSC_0740 by Petra Graves, on Flickr We purchased a combo ticket at a discounted price for both sites at the castle. We returned to the ship in the early evening taking JR Special Rapid Service from Himeji to Kusatsu or Tsuruga and got off the train at Sannomiya. We had a fantastic day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uktraveller Posted August 13, 2017 #3 Share Posted August 13, 2017 Thank you so much for this info. We will be in Kobe on Millenium in September and plan on doing exactly this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruzingnut Posted August 13, 2017 #4 Share Posted August 13, 2017 We did the very same thing on an overnite in Kobe years ago. We always go further the first day and then stay closer on the second day. We loved the castle...as everyone can see from your lovely pictures, it was well worth the trip and the walk to get to it! Linda R. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loeb Posted August 13, 2017 #5 Share Posted August 13, 2017 Great pictures and commentary - thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zelker Posted March 4, 2018 #6 Share Posted March 4, 2018 Am SO glad I ran across your post! We're going to overnight in Kobe next month and rather than going to Osaka the first afternoon, we decided that Himeji looked way more interesting. Your incredible descriptive narrative has now assured me that we can do this on our own. And your photos are awesome! (would love to know what you shoot with) Many thanks!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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