Himeji (Japanese: 姫路市) is a city facing the Inland Sea, in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. It covers 534.43 sq km (206.34 sq mi) and has a population of 536,000 people (2012 estimate).
You can reach Himeji from Osaka and Kobe on the Sanyo Shinkansen line. There are two services, the Hikari Rail Star and the Kodama. From Tokyo, you can take the Nozomi train to Himeji. The journey takes three hours and costs ¥15,710.