The Himeji municipal government said Friday that it will raise the admission fee for its castle — a UNESCO World Heritage site — for people from outside the city. The city will now charge visitors who do not live in Himeji 2.5 times more than before.
The government of the city in Hyogo Prefecture, which currently charges a uniform Himeji Castle entrance fee of ¥1,000 for adults age 18 and older, intends to hike the price for nonresidents to ¥2,500 in March 2026 while leaving it unchanged for Himeji residents. It also plans begin offering an annual ¥5,000 pass while scrapping the ¥300 fee for junior and senior high school students, allowing them to enter for free. The government will introduce necessary amendments to local ordinances to the city assembly on Monday.
Designed to better maintain the site also known as White Heron Castle, one of Japan's first UNESCO World Heritage sites, the fee hike "can contribute to not only conserving the World Heritage site but securing the safety of visitors," Himeji Mayor Hideyasu Kiyomoto told a news conference.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.