Historic Movie Sets, Ancient Temples & Castle, Cablecar Ride, Mountain Views
Visit the sets of Shogun (the 1980s mini-series with Richard Chamberlain) and Last Samurai (the movie with Tom Cruise). Enter a beautifully preserved 14th-century castle, ride a cablecar up a mountain, wander amongst massive prayer halls.
* No payment required at this time. Osaka Day Tours will soon contact you to discuss and help you plan your custom tour. If your chosen date is available, you will then be able to lock in your tour.
Tour Time: 9:00-17:00 (8-hour tour)
Tour Guide: Kevin Riley
Included: All buses and cable cars, entry fees, and lunch at a local eatery.
Standard Shogun & Last Samurai Tour
- Enter Himeji Castle – one of the very few castles that never was captured and never burned down. As you enter through all of the defensive measures, you’ll get a good feel for why this castle was undefeated.
- Inside, marvel at the massive posts and beams that hold up this castle. Discover the inventive system of building that ensured this castle survived even the devastating 1995 Kobe Earthquake.
- Check out the internal defenses that would allow defenders to repel all invaders.
- Stroll through the beautiful gardens just outside the castle walls, created in the Edo Period style, with 9 different garden sections – including “The Garden of the Lord’s Residence” and “The Ceremonial Tea Garden”.
- Enjoy a very traditional lunch (something we eat quite regularly for lunch at home) at a small eatery nearby. The homey atmosphere conveys what it’s like to live in Japan.
- Ride a cablecar up Mt Shosha and enjoy a great view over Himeji.
- Encounter a giant’s humongous straw sandals hanging in a gateway in the middle of nowhere.
- Stop at a viewpoint along the walk to the temple, where Tom Cruise stood during a break from filming “The Last Samurai”. Look out over mountains, farmland, and Himeji City.
- Pass by a gigantic 700-year-old cedar tree as we follow the trail to Engyoji Temple.
- Stand amongst the massive 1000-year-old temple and prayer halls, where Tom Cruise and Ken Watanabe had their discussions in “The Last Samurai”. This temple is over 1000 years old and the biggest temple on the 33-temple Saigoku Pilgrimage.
- Before heading back down the mountain and back to Himeji Station, we’ll all try our luck with the clay discs, hoping for our wishes to come true.
No payment required at this time. Osaka Day Tours will soon contact you to discuss and help you plan your custom tour. If your chosen date is available, you will then be able to lock in your tour.
Requirements
Although we mainly use buses and cable cars to move from one location to another, there is some walking involved and comfortable walking shoes are recommended.