Right next to Himeji Castle is the Kōko-en, the castle garden. For the “horrendous investment” of 50 ¥, you can buy an additional ticket for the garden at the castle’s ticket counter. Which you should do if you have the time because the garden is stunningly beautiful.

A relaxing hour in the castle garden in Himeji

The garden was built in 1992 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Himeji’s elevation to city status. Like most Japanese gardens, it is divided into different areas. As a small special feature, each of these nine parts is based on a specific style of the Edo period. I found the first part with the many water features and the bamboo garden particularly worth seeing. The sound of the wind in the bamboo stalks really makes you dream.

There is also a small tea house in the garden, and I could even participate in a short tea ceremony there. Of course, it was very touristy and more of a quick overview than a real ceremony, but it was still very nice and I enjoyed the good matcha.

The garden doesn’t offer anything that other gardens don’t, but it’s still a good way to end a visit after spending several hours wandering around the castle. You also get another beautiful view of the castle.

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