I visited Himeji-jō on a half-day trip from Kōbe in early 2017. Trains from Kōbe and Ōsaka are fast and frequent, and from Himeji station, one can easily walk towards the castle. The shiny white castle overlooks the uneventful city and is surrounded by a water-filled moat. Kōko-en Garden is just west of the castle and a nice place to spend half an hour. The ticket price for the castle was 1,000 JPY (1,040 JPY with the garden). After removing your shoes, the castle can be entered and the upper floors climbed. In the colder season, visitors should put on the offered slippers as the wooden floorboards turn freezing cold. I have visited a handful of Japanese castles and found Himeji-jō to be the most beautiful.