Himeji Castle Entrance Fee to Go Up 2.5-Fold for Nonresidents

   Himeji, Hyogo Pref., Feb. 14 (Jiji Press)--The Himeji municipal government said Friday it will raise the admission fee for a World Heritage castle in the western Japan city by 2.5-fold for visitors other than residents there.
   The city government in Hyogo Prefecture, which currently charges a uniform Himeji Castle entrance fee of 1,000 yen with adults aged 18 and older, intends to hike the price for nonresidents to 2,500 yen in March 2026 while leaving it unchanged for residents. It also plans to scrap the 300-yen fee for junior and senior high school students to allow them to enter for free and newly issue an annual 5,000-yen pass. The government will introduce necessary amendments to local ordinances to the city assembly on Monday.
   Designed to better maintain the structure, one of the first UNESCO World Heritage sites in the country, also called White Heron Castle, 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 press conference.
   Projecting a fresh annual income of some 1 billion yen through the fee increase, the city also plans to use the funds to sell admission tickets online, temporarily keep visitors' baggage and conduct guided tours for foreigners.
   Himeji Castle is one of the 12 existing castles in the country built in the Edo period (1603-1868) or earlier with their keeps remaining. In fiscal 2023, which ended in March last year, the castle attracted some 1.48 million visitors including around 450,000 foreigners, an all-time high.

(2025/02/14-22:37)

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