Himeji Castle & Koko-en in 1 Day Tour — Guide Hiro

Title: What Is a Private Himeji Castle and Koko-en Garden Tour Like? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests contacted me by email around 9:20 to say that they had missed their bullet train and would take the next one, so they would arrive in Himeji around 10:30. They arrived in Himeji as advised, and we met at the JR central ticket gate, starting the tour about 35 minutes behind the planned schedule for the day. They said they had been looking forward to Himeji Castle, and there seemed to be many elements that sparked their interest, such as the scale of the triple moat layout, the defensive mechanisms, and the beauty, structure, and clever features of the keep group. We decided to take our time, including a break. They had also mentioned wanting to visit Engyo-ji Temple on Mount Shosha, but they said they had a reservation for a Yodogawa river cruise at 6:00 in the evening and needed to take a bullet train back to Osaka in the 4:00 hour. Because of the missed train in the morning, there was a possibility that going to Mount Shosha would make them miss the bullet train in the 4:00 hour. Since the guests had been visiting sites every day in the intense heat, we decided to have a relaxed lunch at a cool restaurant and stroll through Koko-en Garden. They took photos of the tiered waterfall, pond, large waterfall, carp, and maple trees in Momiji Valley beside the corridor leading to the mansion garden, and they greatly enjoyed seeing several kinds of dragonflies and butterflies in each garden. After Koko-en, we returned to JR Himeji Station by taxi, and I helped them buy reserved bullet train tickets at the automatic ticket machine, ending the tour. I saw them off at the ticket gate. They were very pleasant guests, and when they saw a photo of a television personality at the entrance of Koko-en, they said they had seen him on TV since arriving in Japan, so I explained that it was a photo taken during a TV program shoot. They were truly enjoying Japan, and they were the kind of guests who made me feel happy just listening to them.

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Tour Report by Hiro

I am Hiromi Mizoi, call me Hiro. I mainly have Himeji tours because I live in Himeji. I got my National Guide Certificate in 2017. I started to guide tourists as a volunteer guide in 2004. I had been a volunteer guide for a long time. However, I could not have any tours from April in 2020 to November in 2022 due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. Now, many tourists have come back to Japan. So, I am very excited. I would like to share not only the beauty of Himeji Castle’s Main Tower Complex but also the tricky defense systems of the entire Castle Grounds, which many visitors do not realize, with you. I was born and grew up very close to the west side of the moats of the Castle. So, I love Himeji Castle. I like other tourists’ favorite sightseeing spots such as Kokoen Garden and Engyoji Temple in Mt. Shosya. As one of Himeji locals, I am greatly happy to share the local people’s favorite spots with you. I look forward to your tours.