By bus
Shinki Bus runs an overnight service from Tokyo Shinjuku and Shibuya to Himeji at a cost of ¥9450 one way and ¥17010 round trip. As of October 2009, the bus leaves the Shinjuku Highway Bus Terminal at 22:30 and arrives at the Himeji Bus Terminal at 8:00, with the return leaving Himeji at 21:30 and getting to Shinjuku at 7:00.
By train
Himeji is along the Sanyo shinkansen line å±±é½æ°å¹¹ç· from Osaka and Kobe to Okayama and Hiroshima. The Hikari Rail Star offers frequent service to Himeji within the Sanyo region, as do the all-stopping Kodama trains. As the station is raised it is possible to see Himeji Castle from a passing train.
From Tokyo, one Nozomi train per hour runs through to Himeji, covering the journey in just over three hours ¥15710. If you have a Japan Rail Pass, there is also one Hikari train departing each hour, running through to Himeji, which you can take at no charge. Due to additional stops, the Hikari takes 3 hours and 40 minutes to reach Himeji from Tokyo.
An inexpensive method of reaching Himeji from within the Kansai region is to take one of the frequent Shinkaisoku æ°å¿«é - Special Rapid commuter trains on the JR Kobe line JR ç¥æ¸ç· that begins in Osaka, which charges only the price of a local train. The ride takes 38 minutes from Kobe's Sannomiya station Â¥950 or 57 minutes from Osaka Â¥1450.
It is possible to travel from Osaka to Himeji using direct trains over the private Hanshin and Sanyo Railways but as this takes longer than JR one and a half hours, ¥1250 it is only really worthwhile for holders of the 3 day or 5 day pass for Kansai's private railway system.
From Kyoto, the Hikari shinkansen whisks travellers to Himeji in just under an hour. This trip can be taken without charge by Japan Rail Pass holders.
By plane
Himeji does not have its own airport. The nearest international airport is Kansai International Airport; buses run eight times a day to Himeji station about 2 1/4 hours, ¥3200 for a one way ticket.
The nearest domestic airports are in Kobe and Osaka. By train from Kobe Airport, take the Port Liner to Sannomiya and connect to the shin-kaisoku train service to Himeji about one hour with good connection, ¥1270, or take a bus straight to Himeji station 1 1/4 hours, ¥1300, six per day. From Osaka's Itami Airport, there are direct buses every hour or so to Himeji station 1 hour 20 minutes, ¥2100.