We planned to walk through the castle ourselves but after the main ticket gate we saw a guide offering a free English tour. I am so glad we did this. We weren’t sure how it would work, if it was a group or private, but we clarified and it was a personal tour for myself and husband.
It’s true there is a lot of English signage available as well as self guided audio so you can take yourself through, but having a knowledgeable guide made an already cool experience even better.
Ito-san, our volunteer guide gave us so much more information than was available just walking ourselves through, and was able to answer all our questions from the normal to the probably pretty weird. She had a great sense of humor, and while Himeji was packed and we waited in long lines, she made it so engaging that we honestly didn’t notice any delay, and the 2 1/2-3 hour tour flew by.
TLDR: Yes, you can do a self guided tour, but if an English guide (or any language you speak!) is available, really consider it for a wonderful time.
by spru181