JJapan Trips

Can I squeeze Himeji and Kobe into one day?

Will be traveling to Osaka Japan in November. I am wondering if I can squeeze in Himeji and Kobe into one day?
The plan roughly would be to go to Himeji early in the morning with train from Osaka and visit the castle. Probably will do the Koko-En garden as well. Thinking of the quick hike Mount Shosha after lunch. Then probably see if there is anything else to do before heading to Kobe in the afternoon.
Will there be any nice place to visit in Kobe, also one thing that will be good is to hike or visit a place to see sunset during that time before we find dinner somewhere in Chinatown. Probably after dinner walk around some popular areas before heading back to Osaka around 9 to 10pm.
Any recommendations or suggestions to improve or add? Thank you all in advance!

12 comments

  2. I did Himeji in May on the way from Osaka to Hiroshima. My train arrived at 9:15am and I left on the 12:50pm train and I thought it was the perfect amount of time to see all of the castle and not feel rushed. Did the garden as well. We also just walked to the castle and back and didn’t take a bus which took more time. You should have plenty of time to do both.

  3. Absolutely. I did Himeji in the morning until mid-afternoon and went to Kobe until late evening. You will have difficulty in visiting Mt. Rokko though. I suggest to do a walking tour from Sannomiya until Kobe station (from Chinatown until Kobe Harborland). But if you got some bum knees better visit Himeji and Kobe on separate days.

  4. Hi, we just did came back from our Osaka trip about a week ago. We did Kobe + Nara in one day, so I can only talk about Kobe since we didn’t travel to Himeji.

    For Kobe, we only did two things: go to Nunobiki Herb Garden, and eat Kobe beef. We arrived at Kobe just before the restaurant (Steakland, walkable from train station) opens at 11am. Then we went to the Herb Garden and spent around 1.5 hours there. If you did the Herb Garden before the Kobe beef lunch, you could be done by 1pm and go off to Himeji.

  6. I did Himeji early in the morning, but skipped the garden to walk around the town a little more before hopping back on the train to Kobe. In Kobe, I only did the Herb Garden, but I stayed a while and ate at two different spots to sit and take in the views. I was back at my hotel in Osaka by late afternoon.

  7. If you are at the castle at 9am, you can be done with the castle and garden for lunch time. But adding the hike , that will take a couple of hours, Mount Shosha is not that close to the station so it takes time to reach it by bus, then the time to hike. Even if you take the ropeway, the temple complex is big and it will take time to visit. This is not something quick.

    If you do the hike, at best you are in Kobe a bit before dinner.

    If you want to spend all afternoon in Lobe, skip the hike.

  8. Heh, I’m actually planning on doing the same. Himeji in the morning (Himeji Castle, garden, Mt. Shosha) and then travel to Kobe in the afternoon/evening for Kobe Beef and the Nunobiki Gardens, and if time allows a little bit of the Harborland. I wonder if this is all possible.

  10. I went to Kobe to eat beef at noon, then went to Himeji and went to Hiroshima to sleep in the evening its easily doable

  11. I’d skip Kobe honestly the couple of times I’ve been there I was unimpressed, it’s like a downmarket Osaka in my opinion, you could substitute Okayama instead, see the castle, the gardens, the orient museum

  12. I did just this but from Kyoto. Himeji during the day and Kobe late afternoon night. Kobe Beef did not disappoint.

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