Information as of 27 August 2026
This page is a relocation summary written by an advanced AI
It is not a personal opinion piece written by a human. An AI gathered official information published on the internet — municipal and national statistics, the Japan Meteorological Agency, railway companies, property portals — and rebuilt it into a form that someone considering a move can read and act on. Every figure carries a source link and the date it was checked, so please confirm anything that matters to you against the original document. Rules and prices change. Always check the latest information yourself before you sign anything.
Moving to Himeji
Himeji City is a core city in south-western Hyogo Prefecture, facing the Seto Inland Sea. Its population is 516,285, the second largest in Hyogo Prefecture after Kobe City, its area is 534.35 square kilometres, and in its relocation guide the city divides itself into 5 areas - Central, Middle, Southern, Northern and the Ieshima Islands. In the middle of the city stands Himeji Castle, a National Treasure and the first site in Japan to be inscribed as a World Cultural Heritage site, in 1993. 🔴 The single strongest feature of this city is that from a station where the Shinkansen stops you can reach anywhere in Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe without changing trains. 28 minutes and ¥4,070 to Shin-Osaka by Shinkansen, 61 minutes and ¥1,460 to Osaka by Special Rapid Service, 39 minutes and ¥960 to Sannomiya by Special Rapid Service, 2 hours 54 minutes to Tokyo by Nozomi - all four with 0 transfers. What is more, the Special Rapid Services towards Osaka and Sannomiya start from Himeji Station, and there are 72 of them a day. There is considerably less rain than in Tokyo, 1,254.7 mm a year (Tokyo has 1,598.2 mm). 618 second-hand detached houses are on the market, from ¥1,800,000 to ¥100,000,000, with a median of ¥19,800,000.
Hot springs and day bathhouses: Kangen Koki-yoku Ekori, Ikoi-no-yu, Karaku-no-yu, Akane-no-yu Himeji Minami, Super Sento Hana-no-yu Shikama, Yuttari House, Nakajima-yu, Yutarin / RV parks: RV Park Himeji Dreamy, Himeji⭐︎RV Park SQUARE
Sources: hot springs and day bathhouses from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors) (checked 2026-08-27) / RV parks from Japan RV Association, list of certified "Kurumatabi" RV parks (checked 2026-08-27). 🔴 Only what is present is listed - a town without a mark is not inferior.
Last checked 2026-08-27
CHAPTER 01First, what kind of place Himeji is
The city describes its own position as "located in south-western Hyogo Prefecture, facing the Seto Inland Sea". From the Harima-nada Sea and more than 40 islands in the south to the mountain valleys of Mount Seppiko in the north - one city runs from the sea to the mountains.
How to reach Himeji from Osaka, Kobe, Tokyo and Okayama
| Where to start | Shortest route | Time and fare |
|---|---|---|
| Shin-Osaka | 1 Sanyo Shinkansen Nozomi | 28 min / ¥4,070 (0 transfers, 87.9 km) |
| Osaka | 1 JR Kobe Line Special Rapid Service (starting from Himeji Station) | 1 hr 1 min / ¥1,460 (0 transfers, 87.9 km) |
| Sannomiya | 1 JR Kobe Line Special Rapid Service (starting from Himeji Station) | 39 min / ¥960 (0 transfers, 57.3 km) |
| Tokyo | 1 Tokaido-Sanyo Shinkansen Nozomi | 2 hr 54 min / ¥16,570 (0 transfers, 644.3 km) |
| Kyoto | 1 Sanyo Shinkansen Nozomi | 44 min / ¥5,700 (0 transfers, 130.7 km) / by Special Rapid Service 1 hr 32 min, ¥2,210 |
| Okayama | 1 Sanyo Shinkansen Nozomi | 19 min / ¥4,130 (0 transfers, 88.6 km) |
| Ieshima (Maura Port) | 1 scheduled ferry from Himeji Port | 27 min / ¥1,000 (0 transfers, 14 sailings a day) |
What kind of town is Himeji City?
A core city in south-western Hyogo Prefecture, facing the Seto Inland Sea. Its population is 516,285, the second largest in Hyogo Prefecture after Kobe City, and its area is 534.35 square kilometres. 🔴 In the middle of the city stands Himeji Castle, a National Treasure and the first site in Japan to be inscribed as a World Cultural Heritage site, in 1993. In its relocation guide the city divides itself into 5 areas - Central, Middle, Southern, Northern and the Ieshima Islands.
CHAPTER 02Five areas, and life in each
On its relocation and settlement promotion site, under "Area introductions", Himeji City divides itself into five - the Central area, the Middle area, the Southern area, the Northern area and the Ieshima Islands. The boundaries are set in the city's own words too: the Middle area is "roughly the area south of the Sanyo Expressway and north of the Himeji Bypass". Those five line up exactly with elevation and with price. The median elevation of the houses on the market is 2.5 metres in the South, 12.1 metres in the Centre, 20.6 metres in the Middle and 67.3 metres in the North. And the median price ranges more than threefold, from ¥24,800,000 in the Centre to ¥7,750,000 in the North. Population and households are from the Basic Resident Register of 30 June Reiwa 8 (all 836 administrative towns); the houses are the 618 this page collected.
| Areas | Population and households | What kind of area it is (in the city's own words) | Homes for sale | Elevation (median) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middle South of the Sanyo Expressway, north of the Bypass / 421 towns | 219,515 109,768 households 42.3% of the city | The city writes "The city and nature are both right there - every day is stimulating". "Residential districts spread out, the JR Sanyo Main Line, the JR Bantan Line, the JR Kishin Line and bus routes are in place, and the city centre is easy to reach". Sakurayama Park, the largest in the city, the Himeji Nature Observation Forest and Tegarayama Peace Park are right beside the residential districts. 123 of the 301 houses on the market (41%) have Himeji Station or Harima-Takaoka Station as their nearest station | 301 (the most in the city) ¥2,600,000-¥95,000,000 median ¥19,900,000 | 20.6m （2.2〜75.4m） |
| South Coastal belt south of the Himeji Bypass / 266 towns | 212,597 100,892 households 41.0% of the city | The city writes "A coastal area with excellent convenience, lively and full of appeal; one of the leading industrial belts in the prefecture". Its character is that "a trade area has formed around each school district, with supermarkets and hospitals nearby". Shikama-ku, Hirohata-ku, Aboshi-ku, Otsu-ku, Katsuhara-ku and Yobe-ku, together with Shirahama-cho, Matogata-cho and Oshio-cho are here. October is busy with the festivals of the local shrines (§11). The median build year of the houses on the market is 2006, the newest in the city | 239 ¥1,900,000-¥100,000,000 median ¥22,000,000 | 2.5m （0.7〜14.2m） |
| North Hill country north of the Sanyo Expressway / 104 towns | 70,349 33,266 households 13.6% of the city | The city writes "Mountains and rivers - enjoy being close to nature" and "recommended for families who want to raise children freely in the middle of nature". Yumesaki-cho has a smart interchange on the Chugoku Expressway, Kodera-cho has the JR Bantan Line and shops along National Route 312, and Yasutomi-cho is known for yuzu and for fireflies in summer. Many of the school districts covered by the city's UJI-turn subsidy for young households moving to the suburbs are also in this area (§14). 76% of the houses on the market are ¥10,000,000 or less | 74 ¥1,800,000-¥32,500,000 median ¥7,750,000 (the lowest in the city) | 67.3m （24.6〜163.9m） |
| Centre Himeji Castle, Himeji Station and Otemae-dori / 42 towns | 12,542 7,115 households 2.4% of the city | The city writes "At the foot of the World Heritage site; a base for tourism that is also growing as a base for living" and "shopping streets, commercial facilities, clinics and restaurants are all within walking distance". Harima-Himeji General Medical Center, ACRIE Himeji, the Municipal Museum of Art, the Himeji Literature Museum and the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of History all stand within walking distance. Only 3 second-hand detached houses are on the market - this is a belt of flats and commerce, and detached houses rarely come onto the market | 3 ¥21,700,000-¥84,000,000 median ¥24,800,000 (the highest in the city) | 12.1m （8.5〜13.9m） |
| Ieshima Islands Islands in the Seto Inland Sea / 3 towns | 3,728 1,924 households 0.7% of the city | The city writes "calm island living surrounded by the Seto Inland Sea", "more than 40 islands large and small" and "about 4,000 people live on the four islands of Ieshima, Boze, Tangajima and Nishijima". "About 30 minutes on the scheduled ferry from Himeji Port, which is about 15 minutes by car from JR Himeji Station." Both the main island of Ieshima and Boze have a kindergarten, a primary school, a junior high school and medical facilities. Boze is said to have the most fishing boats per single fishing port in Japan (§13) | 1 ¥5,000,000 (the vacant-house bank lists houses on Ieshima and Boze, §4) | 2.0 m (Ieshima-cho Miya) |
What changes depending on where in the city you live?
It changes with whether you are near the sea or near the mountains. The median elevation of the houses on the market is 2.5 metres in the South, 12.1 metres in the Centre, 20.6 metres in the Middle and 67.3 metres in the North, and the median price is ¥24,800,000 in the Centre against ¥7,750,000 in the North. The largest population is in the Middle area (219,515) and the smallest in the Ieshima Islands (3,728).
CHAPTER 03Trains and cars — how you get around
Himeji's strength is that "the Shinkansen station and the Special Rapid Services that start there are the same station". 28 minutes to Shin-Osaka by Shinkansen, 1 hour 1 minute to Osaka by Special Rapid Service, 39 minutes to Sannomiya - all three without changing trains. And because all 72 Special Rapid Services towards Osaka and Sannomiya start from Himeji Station, you can get a seat.
JR - five lines meet at Himeji Station
Himeji Station is a station served by the Sanyo Shinkansen, the JR Kobe Line (Sanyo Main Line), the JR Bantan Line and the JR Kishin Line, and the Sanyo Electric Railway Main Line runs from Sanyo-Himeji Station in front of it. Counting the nearest station of the 618 houses on the market by line gives 198 on the JR Sanyo Main Line, 120 on the JR Kishin Line, 108 on the JR Bantan Line, 102 on the Sanyo Electric Railway Main Line and 84 on the Sanyo Electric Railway Aboshi Line - spread across five lines is what Himeji looks like.
JR Special Rapid Service, starting from Himeji Station, no transfer39 minutes and ¥960 to Sannomiya, 1 hour 1 minute and ¥1,460 to Osaka, 1 hour 32 minutes and ¥2,210 to Kyoto. On Friday 28 August 2026 there were 72 Special Rapid Services reaching Osaka in one day - every one of them starting from Himeji Station
Sanyo Shinkansen, no transfer28 minutes and ¥4,070 to Shin-Osaka, 2 hours 54 minutes and ¥16,570 to Tokyo, 19 minutes and ¥4,130 to Okayama, 1 hour 59 minutes to Hakata. On the same day, 57 Shinkansen reached Shin-Osaka and 31 reached Tokyo
By car - three expressway interchanges, and the Himeji Bypass is free
The city has three expressway interchanges - Sanyo-Himeji-Higashi IC and Sanyo-Himeji-Nishi IC on the Sanyo Expressway and Yumesaki Smart IC on the Chugoku Expressway (opened in Heisei 27). In addition, the Bantan Renraku Road of the Hyogo Prefectural Road Corporation runs north-south through the middle of the city, and the Himeji Bypass of National Route 2 (free of charge) runs east-west. These two are the spine that lets you reach an expressway from anywhere in the city. In his Reiwa 8 policy statement the mayor wrote that the city will "aim for the early construction of the Harima Coastal Area Road and continue working towards a city planning decision". Road works on the Hirohata trunk line and others to relieve congestion in the south-west of the city and construction of the Inner Ring East Line to smooth north-south traffic around Himeji Station are also under way.
Airports and the port - 60 kilometres to Kobe Airport, and boats to the islands from Himeji Port
| What | How it stands |
|---|---|
| The nearest airport | 60.0 kilometres to Kobe Airport and 70.4 kilometres to Okayama Airport (straight-line distance from City Hall). There is no airport inside the city. Kansai International Airport and Osaka International Airport are reached by limousine bus or by Special Rapid Service plus a connection |
| Himeji Port | The city writes that it is "an international strategic port located on the coast of Himeji City, in the eastern Seto Inland Sea and the centre of the Harima region, with a port area about 18 kilometres east to west and about 7,700 hectares in size". The scheduled ferries to Ieshima and Boze also leave from this port, about 15 minutes by car from JR Himeji Station |
| The ferry to Ieshima | Himeji Port to Ieshima (Maura) = 27 minutes, ¥1,000, 14 sailings a day (Ieshima Liner Co., Ltd. The first sailing leaves Himeji Port at 6:55, the first from the island leaves Miya at 6:00 and reaches Himeji at 6:37, and the last leaves Himeji at 20:35). Himeji Port to Boze = 32 minutes, ¥1,300, 10 sailings on weekdays (Boze Hikari Kisen. Some sailings call at Tangajima, which is also ¥1,300). Ieshima to Boze is ¥400 |
| Community buses | The city runs five routes "to secure a means of travel for residents in areas with no or poor public transport" - Ieshima (12 weekday sailings on each of 2 routes, ¥100) / Boze (13 clockwise, 4 anticlockwise, ¥100) / the "Fukuhime-go" run jointly with Fukusaki Town (12 on weekdays, ¥200, PayPay accepted) / the "Seppiko" between Maenosho in Yumesaki-cho and Yamanouchi (6 round trips on weekdays, ¥200) / the "Mizoguchi shopping service" (1 round trip on Tuesdays and Fridays). Primary school children pay half |
✈ Airports
The nearest is Kobe Airport (a regionally managed airport), about 60.0 km in a straight line. Next is Okayama Airport (about 70.4 km in a straight line). 🔴 These are straight-line distances. They are not road distances or journey times - please check the actual routes in each operator's timetable.
🛣 Expressway junctions
This area has 3 interchanges (IC/JCT).
Sanyo Expressway = Sanyo-Himeji-Higashi, Sanyo-Himeji-Nishi
Chugoku Expressway = Yumesaki SIC
How long does it take from Himeji to Osaka or Kobe?
28 minutes and ¥4,070 to Shin-Osaka by Sanyo Shinkansen, 1 hour 1 minute and ¥1,460 to Osaka by JR Special Rapid Service, 39 minutes and ¥960 to Sannomiya by Special Rapid Service, and 2 hours 54 minutes and ¥16,570 to Tokyo by Nozomi - all four without changing trains. 🔴 All 72 Special Rapid Services towards Osaka and Sannomiya start from Himeji Station, so you can get a seat.
CHAPTER 04Homes actually on the market right now
This page collected all 618 second-hand detached houses listed on SUUMO in Himeji City, without cutting the list short. From ¥1,800,000 to ¥100,000,000, with a median of ¥19,800,000. 167 (27%) are ¥10,000,000 or less, the median plot is 156 square metres (47 tsubo) and the median building 109 square metres (33 tsubo), and the median build year is 1997, with 166 (27%) built before 1981 (the new earthquake code). Elevations run from 0.7 metres to 163.9 metres, with a median of 13.9 metres. The list below shows the 20 cheapest, and the sort bar also reorders them by "lowest elevation" and "nearest station". The area badges (the 5 areas in §2) are assigned house by house from the address.Source: SUUMO, second-hand detached houses in Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture (all 618 listings shown on 27 August 2026 were collected; SUUMO's own total was also 618). Elevations were taken one by one from each listing's map coordinates using the elevation API of the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan / checked 2026-08-27
"Nearest the station first" converts everything to minutes — a walk of ◯ min, ◯ min by bus plus ◯ min from the stop, ◯ km by car (reckoned at 30 km/h) — and compares those. Listings with no such information always appear last, whatever the sort.
Kodera-cho Koro¥1,800,000Northern area (north of the Sanyo Expressway: the Yumesaki, Kodera and Yasutomi hills)Elev. approx. 50 m / Land 130 m² (39 tsubo) / Building 52 m² (16 tsubo) / built 1963 / Koro Sta. 10 min walk10 photos →
Yasutomi-cho Nasaka¥1,800,000Northern area (north of the Sanyo Expressway: the Yumesaki, Kodera and Yasutomi hills)Elev. approx. 120 m / Land 436 m² (132 tsubo) / Building 152 m² (46 tsubo) / built 1930 / Harima-Shingu Sta., 13.0km4 photos →
Shikamaku Anase¥1,900,000Southern area (south of the Himeji Bypass: the sea and the factories)Elev. approx. 10 m / Land 62 m² (19 tsubo) / Building 63 m² (19 tsubo) / built 1978 / Kameyama Sta. 23 min walk10 photos →
Yasutomi-cho Segawa¥1,900,000Northern area (north of the Sanyo Expressway: the Yumesaki, Kodera and Yasutomi hills)Elev. approx. 90 m / Land 287 m² (87 tsubo) / Building 183 m² (55 tsubo) / built 1966 / Himeji Sta. bus 46 min+7 min walk9 photos →
Kodera-cho Sukain¥2,000,000Northern area (north of the Sanyo Expressway: the Yumesaki, Kodera and Yasutomi hills)Elev. approx. 70 m / Land 168 m² (51 tsubo) / Building 98 m² (30 tsubo) / built 1979 / Nibuno Sta. 12 min walk7 photos →
Aboshiku Shinzaike¥2,600,000Southern area (south of the Himeji Bypass: the sea and the factories)Elev. approx. 0 m / Land 131 m² (40 tsubo) / Building 108 m² (33 tsubo) / built 1959 / Sanyo-Aboshi Sta. 16 min walk10 photos →
Mikunino-cho Kokubunji 173-11¥2,600,000Middle area (residential belt south of the Sanyo Expressway and north of the Himeji Bypass)Elev. approx. 10 m / Land 54 m² (16 tsubo) / Building 52 m² (16 tsubo) / built 1983 / Himeji Sta. bus 20 min+5 min walk9 photos →
Kodera-cho Nakadera 259-78¥2,800,000Northern area (north of the Sanyo Expressway: the Yumesaki, Kodera and Yasutomi hills)Elev. approx. 90 m / Land 146 m² (44 tsubo) / Building 79 m² (24 tsubo) / built 1986 / Mizoguchi Sta. 26 min walk10 photos →
Yumesaki-cho Miyaoki 455-100¥2,800,000Northern area (north of the Sanyo Expressway: the Yumesaki, Kodera and Yasutomi hills)Elev. approx. 60 m / Land 137 m² (41 tsubo) / Building 101 m² (31 tsubo) / built 1983 / Himeji Sta. bus 30 min+2 min walk10 photos →
Bessho-cho Sazuchishin 336-2¥2,800,000Middle area (residential belt south of the Sanyo Expressway and north of the Himeji Bypass)Elev. approx. 20 m / Land 407 m² (123 tsubo) / Building 73 m² (22 tsubo) / built 1960 / Himeji-Bessho Sta. 25 min walk8 photos →
Oshio-cho 1140-29¥2,900,000Southern area (south of the Himeji Bypass: the sea and the factories)Elev. approx. 0 m / Land 237 m² (72 tsubo) / Building 152 m² (46 tsubo) / built 1975 / Oshio Sta. 17 min walk10 photos →
Yamabuki 2-6-32¥2,980,000Middle area (residential belt south of the Sanyo Expressway and north of the Himeji Bypass)Elev. approx. 20 m / Land 162 m² (49 tsubo) / Building 97 m² (29 tsubo) / built 1979 / Harima-Takaoka Sta. 17 min walk10 photos →
Yumesaki-cho Tera 152-57¥2,980,000Northern area (north of the Sanyo Expressway: the Yumesaki, Kodera and Yasutomi hills)Elev. approx. 70 m / Land 232 m² (70 tsubo) / Building 120 m² (36 tsubo) / built 1978 / Himeji Sta. bus 35 min+16 min walk9 photos →
Tadera Yamate-cho 1-6¥3,000,000Middle area (residential belt south of the Sanyo Expressway and north of the Himeji Bypass)Elev. approx. 50 m / Land 244 m² (74 tsubo) / Building 111 m² (34 tsubo) / built 1972 / Harima-Takaoka Sta. 40 min walk9 photos →
Chonotsubo 93-11¥3,200,000Middle area (residential belt south of the Sanyo Expressway and north of the Himeji Bypass)Elev. approx. 10 m / Land 88 m² (26 tsubo) / Building 64 m² (19 tsubo) / built 1970 / Tegarayama Heiwa-koen Sta. 22 min walk10 photos →
Yumesaki-cho Goji 1364-464¥3,200,000Northern area (north of the Sanyo Expressway: the Yumesaki, Kodera and Yasutomi hills)Elev. approx. 120 m / Land 226 m² (68 tsubo) / Building 99 m² (30 tsubo) / built 1991 / Himeji Sta. bus 42 min+18 min walk10 photos →
Johoku Shin-machi 2¥3,300,000Middle area (residential belt south of the Sanyo Expressway and north of the Himeji Bypass)Elev. approx. 20 m / Land 137 m² (41 tsubo) / Building 112 m² (34 tsubo) / built 1974 / Nozato Sta. 22 min walk9 photos →
Yashiro¥3,480,000Middle area (residential belt south of the Sanyo Expressway and north of the Himeji Bypass)Elev. approx. 20 m / Land 62 m² (19 tsubo) / Building 60 m² (18 tsubo) / built 1964 / Kyoguchi Sta. 26 min walk8 photos →
Kodera-cho Sukain¥3,500,000Northern area (north of the Sanyo Expressway: the Yumesaki, Kodera and Yasutomi hills)Elev. approx. 70 m / Land 165 m² (50 tsubo) / Building 107 m² (32 tsubo) / built 1985 / Nibuno Sta. 10 min walk10 photos →
Yumesaki-cho Maenosho 1121¥3,500,000Northern area (north of the Sanyo Expressway: the Yumesaki, Kodera and Yasutomi hills)Elev. approx. 90 m / Land 365 m² (111 tsubo) / Building 54 m² (16 tsubo) / built 1948 / Fukusaki Sta. 84 min walk10 photos →
The photographs are the images carried on SUUMO. They disappear once a listing ends. Check the real condition of a property on site.
See all 618 listings on SUUMO →(1) Height above sea level, and the risk from water. Of the 618 houses on the market, 210 (34%) are below 5 metres and 263 (43%) below 10 metres. In the Southern area alone, 202 of the 239 (85%) are below 5 metres. Himeji City publishes five kinds of hazard map - flood, landslide, storm surge, tsunami and inland flooding - by school district, in a wide-area version and by river (§5). Once you have an address, look at all five layered together on the Himeji City Web Map.
(2) Whether it is an urbanisation control area. Of the city's 53,435 hectares, the city planning area is 30,753 hectares, of which the urbanisation promotion area is 11,055 hectares and the urbanisation control area 19,698 hectares. In an urbanisation control area, building a house requires separate procedures. The city has an FAQ headed "I want to build a house on farmland in an urbanisation control area. What procedures are needed?", so check with the Development Guidance Division before you buy.
(3) Public sewer or septic tank. Himeji City's sewerage coverage rate is 93.4% (end of fiscal Reiwa 6) and the flush-toilet rate is 98.3%. But the remaining 6.6% use septic tanks, which cost money every year for the annual statutory inspection, maintenance and cleaning (§8). Before you buy, check with the Waterworks and Sewerage Bureau whether the address is in the sewerage treatment area. Sources: elevations from this page's tabulation of 618 houses / the city planning area from Himeji City, "Himeji City Statistical Handbook, Reiwa 7 (2025) edition", table 1-5 "Land use" (as of 1 January Reiwa 8; city area 53,435 ha, city planning area 30,753 ha, urbanisation promotion area 11,055 ha, urbanisation control area 19,698 ha) / the procedures from the same, "I want to build a house on farmland in an urbanisation control area. What procedures are needed?" / the sewerage coverage rate from the same Statistical Handbook, table 11-2 "Sewerage coverage" (end of fiscal Reiwa 6; coverage 93.4%, flush-toilet rate 98.3%, pipe length 2,920 km) / the hazard maps from the same, "Hazard maps (flood, landslide, storm surge, tsunami)" and the Himeji City Web Map / checked 2026-08-27
Akiya bank — 9 listings
All 9 houses for sale registered with the municipal vacant-house bank (as checked on 27 August 2026). They are listed from the cheapest.
What is the cheapest house you can buy in Himeji?
SUUMO lists 618 second-hand detached houses, from ¥1,800,000 to ¥100,000,000 with a median of ¥19,800,000, and 167 (27%) are ¥10,000,000 or less. The median plot is 156 square metres and the median building 109 square metres, and the median build year is 1997.
CHAPTER 05Is the ground safe?
Is this town inside a national earthquake-preparedness zone?
For each major earthquake, national law designates the areas where preparation is to be advanced. Whether a town is designated tells you directly how the national government views the shaking and tsunami expected there.
| Nankai Trough Earthquake Disaster Prevention Promotion Area | Designated |
|---|---|
| Tokyo Inland Earthquake Emergency Measures Area | Not covered (the whole of Hyogo Prefecture is outside the scheme) |
| Japan Trench / Kuril Trench Earthquake Disaster Prevention Promotion Area | Not covered (the whole of Hyogo Prefecture is outside the scheme) |
| Shaking of intensity 6-lower or above within 30 years | 21.7% (2.1% for upper 6 or above) At the Himeji City Hall site. The surface ground is AVS30 270 m/s, alluvial fan |
Look up an address on J-SHIS → Designations from the Cabinet Office list of designated municipalities (Nankai Trough Earthquake Disaster Prevention Promotion Area／Tokyo Inland Earthquake Emergency Measures Area／Japan Trench / Kuril Trench Earthquake Disaster Prevention Promotion Area ) / probability and surface ground from theNational Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience, J-SHIS earthquake hazard information API (2024 edition, average case, all earthquakes), queried at the coordinates of the city hall / checked 2026-08-27
Himeji City maps two earthquakes
On its hazard map page the city publishes seismic intensity maps and liquefaction risk maps for two earthquakes: the Nankai Trough earthquake and the Yamasaki Fault Zone earthquake. An earthquake from the sea, and an earthquake on the active fault that crosses the north of the city - Himeji City sets out both, side by side, on the same page.
| Which earthquake | The national assessment |
|---|---|
| Nankai Trough earthquake | Himeji City is designated a Nankai Trough Earthquake Disaster Prevention Promotion Area. In the 250-metre square containing the city hall, the probability of seismic intensity lower 6 or above within 30 years is 21.7%, and of upper 6 or above 2.1% (NIED J-SHIS). The ground is an alluvial fan, with AVS30 of 269.64 metres per second |
| Yamasaki Fault Zone | The national Earthquake Research Committee writes that "in the main part of the Yamasaki Fault Zone, the most recent activity differs between the section north-west of Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture and the section south-east of Fukusaki Town, Kanzaki District, Hyogo Prefecture" - the dividing point of the fault zone lies at Himeji City. The north-western section could produce a magnitude of about 7.7, with a probability of 0.09% to 1% within 30 years, and the committee places it "in the somewhat higher group among the main active faults in Japan". Its most recent activity is estimated to have been the Harima Province earthquake of 868 (Jogan 10) |
| Tsunami | The city publishes inundation maps based on the tsunami source model released by the Cabinet Office's study group on the Nankai Trough mega-earthquake. It also writes that "at present no such area (tsunami disaster warning area) has been designated within Hyogo Prefecture, so for the purposes of the important-matters explanation under the Building Lots and Buildings Transaction Business Act the answer is 'outside the area'" |
| Storm surge | The city publishes storm surge hazard maps in four sheets - west, middle, east and Ieshima. The assumption is a central pressure of 910 hectopascals (the Muroto Typhoon moving on after landfall without weakening), a radius of maximum cyclostrophic wind of 75 kilometres and a speed of 73 kilometres per hour (the Isewan Typhoon), and the simulations for nine separate tracks are overlaid to show the deepest inundation |
See Himeji City, "Hazard maps (flood, landslide, storm surge, tsunami)" →
The flood maps have been redrawn for "rain that comes once in 1,000 years"
The city has revised its flood inundation maps from planning-scale rainfall (a 1-in-100-year probability) to maximum-scale rainfall (a 1-in-1,000-year probability), and has newly published the duration of inundation (how long water stays 0.5 metres deep or more) and the house-collapse inundation area (where overflow or bank erosion could wash away or collapse a house). The city takes care to prevent a misreading: "maximum-scale rainfall does not mean rain that comes round once every 1,000 years. It is a way of saying rain with a probability of 1 in 1,000 or less of occurring in any one year."
| River | Planning-scale rainfall | Maximum-scale rainfall | Date designated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ibo River | 197 mm (12 hours) | 354 mm (12 hours) | 31 May Reiwa 1 |
| Ichikawa River | 247 mm (24 hours) | 617 mm (24 hours) | Heisei 30 (2018), 6/30 |
| Yumesaki River | 269 mm (24 hours) | 686 mm (24 hours) | 30 August Reiwa 1 |
| Otsumo River | 264 mm (24 hours) | 757 mm (24 hours) | 30 August Reiwa 1 |
| Ten River | 252 mm (24 hours) | 736 mm (24 hours) | 30 August Reiwa 1 |
The city provides flood and landslide hazard maps by school district, a wide-area hazard map for thinking about evacuating beyond the neighbourhood, and inundation maps for each river (the Ibo, Otsumo, Yumesaki, Ichikawa and Ten), each as a PDF. Once your school district is fixed, you only need to look at that one sheet.
What the city provides
| What | How it stands |
|---|---|
| Himeji City Web Map | All five - flood, landslide, tsunami, storm surge and inland flooding - can be layered on one map. You can zoom in to the address |
| Hazard map by school district | For each of the 69 primary school districts, a PDF putting flood and landslide on one sheet. The evacuation shelters are marked on it too |
| The evacuation card "Passport for Life" | It sits where you can always reach it from the emergency information on the city's front page |
| For real estate agents | The city has a separate page explaining the hazard maps for building lots and buildings transaction agents. That means which sheet to use in the important-matters explanation is settled |
| What is being added in fiscal Reiwa 8 | From the mayor's policy statement: a women's committee within the disaster prevention council, a disaster victim support system (bringing the issuing of disaster certificates and the management of victims into one place), welfare evacuation shelters equipped with portable batteries for people on home ventilators, a refurbishment of the Himeji Disaster Prevention Plaza, the relocation and rebuilding of Himeji East Fire Station and a major refurbishment of Shikama Fire Station, and an extra daytime ambulance crew to meet rising daytime demand |
Is there a risk of earthquakes or flooding?
It is designated a Nankai Trough Earthquake Disaster Prevention Promotion Area. At the city hall site, the probability of seismic intensity lower 6 or above within 30 years is 21.7%, and of upper 6 or above 2.1%. The city also publishes a seismic intensity map for the Yamasaki Fault Zone earthquake (the north-western section of the main part: about magnitude 7.7, 0.09% to 1% within 30 years). For water, it publishes five kinds of hazard map - flood, landslide, storm surge, tsunami and inland flooding - by school district, in a wide-area version and by river.
CHAPTER 06What summer and winter are like
Himeji's climate in a word is "little rain". Rainfall in a year is 1,254.7 mm, 78% of Tokyo's 1,598.2 mm. Even July, the wettest month, has only 184.3 mm - less than Tokyo's September (224.9 mm). Snowfall is 6 cm a year, the deepest snow cover 5 cm, and there are 0.0 days when the temperature stays below freezing all day. This is a Seto Inland Sea climate.
| What | Himeji | Tokyo (for comparison) |
|---|---|---|
| August daily maximum (average) | 32.5℃ | 31.3℃ |
| January daily minimum (average) | 0.2℃ | 1.2℃ |
| Rainfall in a year | 1,254.7 mm | 1,598.2 mm |
| Days above 35°C | 6.1 days a year | 4.8 days a year |
| Tropical nights (minimum 25°C or above) | 17.2 days a year | 17.8 days a year |
| Frost days (minimum below 0°C) | 42.7 days a year | 15.2 days a year |
| Days below freezing all day (maximum under 0C) | 0.0 days a year | 0.0 days a year |
| Total snowfall in a year | 6 cm | 8 cm |
| Deepest snow cover | 5 cm | 6 cm |
What happens to the car on a winter morning
Because there are 0.0 days that stay below freezing all day, it is rare for anything to remain frozen through the daytime. On the other hand there are 42.7 days a year below freezing at night - from December to February there are more than 10 mornings a month when the road surface freezes in the cold. Since total snowfall is 6 cm a year and the deepest cover on record is 5 cm, on the flat land the season is about frost on the windscreen in the morning and ice on bridges, rather than clearing snow. The Northern area, though, has to be thought about separately. The median elevation of the houses on the market there is 67.3 metres, and the highest house is at 163.9 metres. The far ends of Yasutomi-cho and Yumesaki-cho are the entrance to the Chugoku Mountains and are colder than the readings at the city's weather station (Himeji, 38 metres above sea level). In the Northern area it is safer to have winter tyres ready. The city itself writes of the Northern area that "a car is essentially indispensable in this area".
In summer the shortage of rain turns the other way round. August rainfall is 105.4 mm, less than June (160.4 mm), July (184.3 mm) or September (177.8 mm) - August is a clear, hot month. With 6.1 days above 35C and 17.2 tropical nights, plan on cooling at night.
What are summer and winter like in Himeji?
🔴 It is a city with little rain - rainfall in a year is 1,254.7 mm, 78% of Tokyo's 1,598.2 mm. The August daily maximum is 32.5C (Tokyo 31.3C) and the January daily minimum 0.2C (Tokyo 1.2C). There are 0.0 days a year below freezing all day, 6 cm of snow in a year and a deepest cover of 5 cm, and 42.7 nights a year below freezing.
CHAPTER 07Shops, hospitals, schools
Because Himeji City is a core city, it runs its own public health centre and its own holiday and night-time emergency clinic. And there are 34 hospitals and 6,108 hospital beds in the city - including the 736-bed Hyogo Prefectural Harima-Himeji General Medical Center ("Harihime"). We start with what to do when a child has a fever in the night.
If a child has a fever in the night
| When | Where to go |
|---|---|
| At night (21:00 to 6:00) | Himeji City Holiday and Night-time Emergency Clinic (Nishiimajuku 3-chome 7-21, 1st floor of the Himeji City Medical Association building / 079-298-0119). Internal medicine and paediatrics, open every day of the year. Reception is from 20:30 to 5:30. Before you set off you can check the waiting status of each department on your phone |
| Sundays and public holidays, daytime (9:00 to 18:00) | At the same clinic, ophthalmology and ear, nose and throat open as well as internal medicine and paediatrics. 15 August and 31 December to 3 January are treated the same way |
| If you are unsure | Emergency Advice Centre Hyogo, #7119 (all ages, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year; a nurse takes the call). If it does not connect, 078-331-7119 |
| If you are injured on a Sunday afternoon | Orthopaedic clinics in the city provide primary emergency care on Sundays from 9:00 to 17:00 |
| If you have toothache | The Dental Association Oral Health Centre provides emergency and first-aid dental treatment on holidays and at other times |
| On Ieshima and Boze | The city publishes the doctor on duty on holidays in Ieshima-cho every time. The municipal Boze Clinic is also run by the city |
Hospitals - there is an emergency and critical care centre in the city
Kamiya-cho 3-chome 264, east of JR Himeji StationOpened 1 May Reiwa 4. 736 beds (720 general, 16 psychiatric) and 33 clinical departments. It is designated an emergency and critical care centre, with 24 emergency ward beds and 20 EICU/CCU beds. It is also a sub-base for the Hyogo Prefecture doctor helicopter
Schools - 66 primary, 33 junior high, 3 compulsory-education schools and 23 high schools
| What | How many (as of 1 May Reiwa 7) |
|---|---|
| Kindergartens | 29 public with 849 children / 7 private with 744 |
| Integrated centres for early childhood education and care | 12 public with 961 children / 62 private with 6,341 |
| Primary | 66 public schools with 25,127 pupils (1,093 classes, of which 216 are special needs) |
| Junior high | 33 public schools with 12,806 pupils / 5 private with 952 |
| Compulsory-education schools | 3 public schools (Shirasagi, Shigo Gakuin and Toyotomi. They teach years 1 to 9 as one course) |
| High schools | 17 public schools with 9,102 pupils / 6 private with 2,827. Himeji Municipal High School opened in April Reiwa 8 |
| Night junior high school | Akatsuki Junior High School (opened Reiwa 5) |
| Universities and junior colleges | 2 universities and 1 junior college (counted by the location of the head office) |
| Primary school meals | Completely free from fiscal Reiwa 8 (using national support measures) |
| Club activities for junior high school pupils | From September Reiwa 8 a new community club scheme, "Hime-katsu", begins. The city writes that it "will work to create an environment where children can take part in Hime-katsu with confidence, including running shuttle buses for children in the hill and mountain districts" |
Shopping - a city where "each school district has its own trade area"
The city writes of the Southern area that "a trade area has formed around each school district, with supermarkets and hospitals nearby, so it is an easy place to live. Large shopping centres and restaurants line the arterial roads, and at weekends many people come to shop and eat". Of the Central area it writes that "a shopping quarter has formed around Otemae-dori, and shopping streets, commercial facilities, clinics and restaurants are all within walking distance". Of Kodera-cho in the Northern area it writes that "the JR Bantan Line runs through it, and supermarkets, drugstores and other shops line National Route 312". In numbers, the city has 5,476 wholesale and retail establishments employing 48,564 people (Reiwa 3), which is 18.9% of everyone working in the city. The new central wholesale market opened in Reiwa 4.
Sources: temperature, rainfall, day counts and snow fromJapan Meteorological Agency, climate normals for Himeji (Hyogo Prefecture), and for Tokyothe same, climate normals for Tokyo (both 1991-2020) / the holiday and night-time emergency clinic fromHimeji City, "Himeji City Holiday and Night-time Emergency Clinic" (departments, reception hours, address and waiting status) andthe same, "Guide to emergency medical services" / the emergency-designated medical institutions fromthe same, "Emergency-designated medical institutions" counted by this site (21 within Himeji City) / Harihime fromHyogo Prefectural Harima-Himeji General Medical Center, "Hospital outline" (opened 1 May Reiwa 4 / 736 beds [720 general, 16 psychiatric] / 11 internal medicine, 7 surgical and 15 other departments, 33 in all / emergency and critical care centre, 24 emergency ward beds, 20 EICU/CCU beds / sub-base for the Hyogo Prefecture doctor helicopter) / the number of medical facilities, the users of the emergency clinic and the number of schools fromHimeji City, "Himeji City Statistical Handbook, Reiwa 7 (2025) edition" tables 14-2, 14-3 and 15-1 to 15-7 / school meals, Hime-katsu and the municipal high school fromthe same, "Mayor's policy statement (fiscal Reiwa 8)" / the night junior high school fromthe same, "The history of Himeji" / the shopping passages fromthe same, "Himeji City Southern area",Central area,Northern area / establishments and employees from table 4-1 of the same Statistical Handbook (Reiwa 3 Economic Census) / checked 2026-08-27Are there hospitals and schools in Himeji?
There are 34 hospitals and 6,108 hospital beds in the city, including the 736-bed Hyogo Prefectural Harima-Himeji General Medical Center (an emergency and critical care centre and a sub-base for the Hyogo Prefecture doctor helicopter). The holiday and night-time emergency clinic is open every day of the year, with internal medicine and paediatrics from 21:00 to 6:00 at night. For schools there are 66 municipal primary schools, 33 junior high schools and 3 compulsory-education schools, and primary school meals became completely free from fiscal Reiwa 8.
CHAPTER 08What it costs you every year after you buy
On 1 April Reiwa 7, Himeji City revised its water charges (by 12.1% on average) and its sewerage charges (by 15.8% on average). The city gives the reason: "We have been working to a plan on renewing and earthquake-proofing our ageing water and sewer pipes and facilities. However, falling water demand has reduced income from water and sewerage charges, while renewal costs have risen as the facilities age, and it has become difficult to secure the funds for that renewal."
Water and sewerage - ¥8,678 a month for a family of four
| What | How much (13 mm meter, 25 cubic metres a month) |
|---|---|
| Water charges | ¥4,493 (basic charge ¥1,020 plus volume charge ¥3,065) x 1.1 |
| Sewerage charges | ¥4,185 (basic charge ¥1,030 plus volume charge ¥2,775) x 1.1 |
| Together | ¥8,678 a month (¥104,136 a year) |
| Volume charge per unit (water) | 1-10 cubic metres ¥20 / 11-20 cubic metres ¥166 / 21-30 cubic metres ¥241 / 31-50 cubic metres ¥295 / 51 cubic metres and above ¥310 (all before tax) |
| Volume charge per unit (sewerage) | 1-10 cubic metres ¥36 / 11-20 cubic metres ¥149 / 21-30 cubic metres ¥185 / 31-50 cubic metres ¥215 (all before tax) |
| Whether the sewer reaches the address | Coverage 93.4%, flush-toilet rate 98.3%, pipe length 2,920 kilometres (end of fiscal Reiwa 6). The rest use septic tanks, which cost extra each year for the statutory inspection, maintenance and cleaning |
| How to pay | As well as direct debit and payment slips, a smartphone app (cashless payment) can be used. Meters are read once every two months |
Other things that cost, or come back, each year
What does it cost every year once you have bought?
For a 13 mm meter and 25 cubic metres a month, water is ¥4,493 and sewerage ¥4,185, ¥8,678 in all (including tax). Sewerage coverage is 93.4%, so most houses are on the sewer, but the rest use septic tanks, which cost extra each year for the statutory inspection and other work. Children's medical costs are fully covered until the end of the school year in which they turn 18, with no income limit.
CHAPTER 09What happens when you want to sell
Land prices in Himeji City are moving upwards. In the Reiwa 8 land price publication, residential land was +0.4% (rising for the second year running, after a flat year), commercial land +1.5% (rising for four years running since Reiwa 5) and industrial land +2.9% (rising for nine years running since Heisei 30). The vacancy rate has also come down, from 15.0% five years ago to 14.1%.
| What | How it stands |
|---|---|
| Average for residential land | ¥70,719 per square metre (1 January Reiwa 8, the average of 88 sites in the city. The median is ¥68,750) |
| The most expensive residential land in the city | Hojoguchi 3-chome 33 = ¥234,000 per square metre. The lowest is Hayashida-cho Kuchisami = ¥13,000 per square metre, an 18-fold gap inside one city |
| The most expensive commercial land in the city | Ekimae-cho 252 = ¥1,660,000 per square metre (+1.8%). In Hyogo Prefecture's ranking of commercial land by price, 1st to 4th are all in Chuo Ward, Kobe City, and 5th is this site in front of Himeji Station |
| Compared with other cities | Using the same Reiwa 8 land price publication, the average for residential land is ¥293,485 in Nishinomiya City, ¥206,617 in Amagasaki City, ¥165,158 in Takarazuka City, ¥116,514 in Akashi City, ¥74,896 in Kakogawa City, ¥70,719 in Himeji City, ¥61,192 in Takasago City and ¥38,706 in Tatsuno City (this site averaged every site in each city) |
| Vacancy rate | 14.1% (37,560 vacant homes out of 266,000 in total, 1 October Reiwa 5). It has come down from 15.0% in Heisei 30. Hyogo Prefecture as a whole is 13.8% |
| How the housing is built | Of the 226,530 occupied homes, 138,640 (61.2%) are detached houses, 8,730 (3.9%) are terraced and 78,990 (34.9%) are flats |
| The age of the houses now on the market | Among the 618 houses on the market, the median build year is 1997 and 166 (27%) were built before 1981 (the new earthquake code). The Southern area has a median build year of 2006, the newest, while the Northern area is 1984 |
For vacant houses the city has signed a partnership agreement with Crassone Inc. on promoting measures for vacant properties, and has opened content such as a demolition cost simulator to residents. There is also a subsidy for demolishing dilapidated vacant houses and a free vacant-house consultation session (twice a year, in summer and winter, jointly with real estate appraisers, lawyers, judicial scriveners and land and house surveyors). For fiscal Reiwa 8 the mayor writes that the city will "sign partnership agreements with private operators and strengthen the support available to vacant-house owners".
Sources: land prices fromHyogo Prefecture, "The Reiwa 8 land price publication (land price trends in Hyogo Prefecture)" (the Hyogo Prefecture extract of the material prepared by the Land Appraisal Committee of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, as of 1 January Reiwa 8). The table of change rates by municipality (Himeji City: residential land +0.4% [Reiwa 6 0.0, Reiwa 7 +0.3] / commercial land +1.5% [Reiwa 4 0.0, Reiwa 5 +0.4, Reiwa 6 +1.0, Reiwa 7 +1.4] / industrial land +2.9% [Heisei 29 -0.4, Heisei 30 +0.1, and the ten years since]), the ranking by price (commercial land 5th: Himeji 5-15, Ekimae-cho 252, Himeji City, ¥1,660,000/m², +1.8% / 1st to 4th are in Chuo Ward, Kobe City), and every site in the "list of published prices" at the end.The average for each city is this site's average of the residential sites (those without a prefix number) in that list, city by city (the 88 sites in Himeji City match the total of 88 sites for Himeji City shown in the same document's map of change rates by municipality) / the vacancy rate and the way the housing is built fromHimeji City, "Outline of the results of the Reiwa 5 Housing and Land Survey (Himeji City)" (266,000 homes in total, 37,560 vacant, vacancy rate 14.1% / Heisei 30: 15.0% / 138,640 detached houses, 61.2%),the same, "Reiwa 5 (2023) Housing and Land Survey" / the prefecture-wide vacancy rate fromHyogo Prefecture, "Reiwa 5 (2023) Housing and Land Survey" / measures for vacant houses fromHimeji City, "Vacant house measures"andthe same, "Mayor's policy statement (fiscal Reiwa 8)" / build years are this site's tabulation of the 618 SUUMO houses (§4) / checked 2026-08-27Will the house I buy sell when I want to sell it?
In the Reiwa 8 land price publication all three rose: residential land +0.4%, commercial land +1.5% and industrial land +2.9%. The average of 88 residential sites is ¥70,719 per square metre, about the same as Kakogawa City (¥74,896) and lower than Akashi City (¥116,514). The vacancy rate is 14.1%, down from 15.0% in Heisei 30.
CHAPTER 10Who lives here, and how many
The population of Himeji City is 516,285 (estimated population on 1 August Reiwa 8). It is the second largest in Hyogo Prefecture after Kobe City, and 9.7% of the prefecture's people live here. The Reiwa 7 Census preliminary count gives 518,311, -2.3% on five years earlier - a gentler decline than Hyogo Prefecture as a whole at -2.58%.
| What | How many |
|---|---|
| Population | 516,285 (male 249,957, female 266,328; estimate for 1 August Reiwa 8). 232,103 households |
| Change over 5 years | -12,184 (-2.3%) (Reiwa 7 Census preliminary count 518,311 / Reiwa 2: 530,495). Households rose by 6,104 (+2.7%) to 230,210 - from 2.37 people per household to 2.25 |
| Breakdown by age | 0-14: 61,765 (11.9%) / 15-64: 312,965 (60.3%) / 65 and over: 144,001 (27.8%) (Basic Resident Register of 30 June Reiwa 8, added up year by year by this site) |
| Daytime and night-time population | The daytime-to-night-time population ratio is 100.2 (Reiwa 2 Census). 60,160 people come in from outside the city and 58,908 travel out - almost the same number. It means this is a city where the work is inside the city |
| Foreign residents | 15,497 (end of July Reiwa 8, Basic Resident Register). Up 3,968 in five years from 11,529 at the end of March Reiwa 2 |
| Total fertility rate | 1.38 (Reiwa 5 (2023)) |
| The population the city is aiming for | In the population vision of its comprehensive plan "Furusato Himeji Plan 2030", the city sets a target resident population of 518,000 for 2030 |
In his Reiwa 8 policy statement the mayor writes: "Japan as a whole faces an uncertain society, with population decline on a scale it has never experienced and sharply rising prices. The number of births in particular has not stopped falling even after the pandemic, and the fall in the birth rate is running far ahead of the national projection." He goes on: "To overcome this we must invest in people, the foundation of society, while attracting young people, foreign residents and businesses and building a city chosen from within Japan and abroad." On foreign residents he writes: "Towards a multicultural society in harmony with the community, so that foreign residents can put down roots and form a society that supports one another, we will provide everyday-life consultations and Japanese language learning support, and to respond to the many languages of foreign pupils and students we will run a hub-based Japanese language teaching room throughout the year."
Sources: the estimated population and households fromHimeji City, "Monthly population statistics" the August Reiwa 8 issue / the census preliminary count fromthe same, "Reiwa 7 (2025) Census preliminary population tabulation", and the Hyogo Prefecture figures fromHyogo Prefecture, "Outline of the Reiwa 7 Census preliminary population" (5,323,825; -2.58%) / the breakdown by age fromHimeji City, "Population by town and by age - end of June Reiwa 8 (2026)" table "2 Population by single year of age and average age" (total 518,731), added up by this site into three bands / the daytime population, foreign residents and total fertility rate fromthe same, "Himeji City Statistical Handbook, Reiwa 7 (2025) edition" tables 2-25, 2-3 and 14-5 / the population vision fromthe same, "Himeji City Comprehensive Plan 'Furusato Himeji Plan 2030' basic concept" ("we set a target resident population of 518,000 for 2030") / the mayor's words fromthe same, "Mayor's policy statement (fiscal Reiwa 8)"/ Verified 2026-08-27Of the 520,222 people living in Himeji City, 15,043 are foreign residents. That is below the national average (3.26%).
Nationwide, foreign residents make up 3.26% of the population (4,031,159 out of 123,767,642).
34 municipalities in Japan are above 10%.
Source: calculated by this site from the municipality-level tables of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, "Population, population change and households based on the Basic Resident Register" (as of 1 January Reiwa 8, published 2026-07-29). The ministry's publication page / verified 2026-08-17
Is Himeji's population falling?
The Reiwa 7 Census preliminary count gives 518,311. That is 12,184 (2.3%) fewer than in Reiwa 2, a gentler decline than Hyogo Prefecture as a whole (-2.58%). Households rose by 6,104 to 230,210, and foreign residents number 15,497, up 3,968 in five years. 🔴 The daytime-to-night-time population ratio is 100.2, so the work is inside the city.
CHAPTER 11Community life and the year's events
The year in Himeji turns on the autumn festivals in October. The city writes that "true to Himeji's name as a place of festivals, a great many events announce the turn of the seasons", and goes on: "In the coastal towns, where the year is said to move around the festival, lavish dishes made with the seasonal gifts of the sea and the mountains adorn the autumn festival." If you move here, keep 14 and 15 October free - that is the kind of city it is.
| Festival | When and where | What kind of festival (in the city's own words) |
|---|---|---|
| Nada no Kenka Matsuri (the fighting festival of Nada) | 14 and 15 October Matsubara Hachiman Shrine (Shirahama-cho) | The city writes: "Early on the day of the main festival, the bearers finish the 'shiokaki' rite of purifying themselves in the sea, then carry out the three enshrined portable shrines, work them against one another inside the shrine grounds, and head for the resting place together with the floats", "The three portable shrines leave the shrine and reach the arena at the foot of Otabiyama, where they crash against one another in a fierce clash worthy of the name 'fighting festival', to the delight of the crowd." The order in which each district enters the shrine on the eve of the festival has not changed since the Edo period |
| Usuki no Chochin Matsuri (the lantern festival of Usuki) | 21 and 22 October Usuki Hachiman Shrine (Aboshi-ku Miyauchi) | "Usuki Hachiman Shrine has the largest body of parishioners in the Harima region (24 towns and more than ten thousand households)." On the eve, "a line of lanterns swaying in the darkness like a wave of light", and then, in front of the tower gate, the "lantern clash" in which the lanterns are struck against one another. On the main day, 18 floats begin entering the shrine from about one in the afternoon |
| The lion dance of Oshio | 14 and 15 October Oshio Tenmangu Shrine (Oshio-cho) | An intangible folk cultural property of Hyogo Prefecture. "Eight lions from the eight parish districts take part in the autumn festival, and all of them are 'hair lions' covered from head to body to tail tip in black bear fur." There is also a float clash with 6 floats |
| Hitotsuyama and Mitsuyama | Once in 60 years / once in 20 years Harima Sosha (Itate Hyozu Shrine) | "A 'yama' is built on the open ground before the deities, the gods of heaven and earth are invited to descend upon it, and prayers are offered for peace in the land, an abundant harvest and the comfort of all people." Building one "yama" is the "Hitotsuyama", held once in 60 years; building three is the "Mitsuyama", held once in 20 years. The city writes that it "draws attention as an unusual festival ... with no parallel anywhere in the country" |
| Onioi (the driving out of the demons) | January Engyoji on Mount Shosha and Zuiganji on Mount Masui | "Red and blue demons dance boldly, brandishing torches and halberds" - a rite praying for good fortune in the new year |
| Boze Peron Festa | August Ieshima-cho | A summer event on Boze that the city calls "a festival of the sea" |
Getting on with the neighbourhood association and the community centre
Himeji City makes community centres the base for local activity. In his Reiwa 8 policy statement the mayor writes: "To promote local vitality with the community centre as its base, we will enrich programmes for children and encourage exchange between the generations, while reducing the burden of neighbourhood association work through digitalisation and supporting the formation of a sustainable local community." The city is trying to use digital tools to lighten the load of rota duties, circulating notices and cleaning - for someone moving in, that is a useful sign. On festival food the city writes: "The festival dish most associated with Himeji is 'sabazushi'. Fatty mackerel is made into a whole-fish sushi or a pressed sushi." The city also explains the shape of the floats: "Floats in the Harima region divide broadly into the giboshi type and the futon type, and Himeji's floats, especially along the coast, are largely giboshi."
Sources: all the festival passages are fromHimeji City, "Festivals of Himeji" (Nada no Kenka Matsuri = Matsubara Hachiman Shrine, Shirahama-cho, Himeji City, 14 and 15 October / Usuki no Chochin Matsuri = Usuki Hachiman Shrine, Aboshi-ku Miyauchi, Himeji City, 21 and 22 October / the lion dance of Oshio = Oshio Tenmangu Shrine, Oshio-cho, Himeji City, 14 and 15 October / Hitotsuyama and Mitsuyama = Harima Sosha [Itate Hyozu Shrine]) / the neighbourhood associations and community centres fromthe same, "Mayor's policy statement (fiscal Reiwa 8)"/ Verified 2026-08-27Is community life demanding in Himeji?
The autumn festivals in October are the axis of the year. On the 14th and 15th, Nada no Kenka Matsuri (Matsubara Hachiman Shrine) and the lion dance of Oshio (Oshio Tenmangu Shrine); on the 21st and 22nd, Usuki no Chochin Matsuri (Usuki Hachiman Shrine, with 24 parish towns, more than ten thousand households and 18 floats). The city is promoting local vitality with the community centre as its base and says it will reduce the burden of neighbourhood association work through digitalisation.
CHAPTER 12Things nearby that move land prices
The south of Himeji is one of the leading industrial belts in the prefecture. The city's manufactured goods shipments come to ¥1,991,100,000,000 (861 establishments with 4 or more employees, Reiwa 3). The largest is steel at ¥464,500,000,000, followed by electrical machinery at ¥438,400,000,000. 50,414 people work in manufacturing, 19.7% of everyone working in the city.
What to watch on the mountain side - wildlife
The city has a page on wildlife damage and runs a programme to capture deer, wild boar, nutria and raccoons. The fiscal Reiwa 8 capture season runs from 1 April to 14 November (until 15 March Reiwa 9 for trapping inside wildlife protection areas), and the city asks people to "take care when entering the woods". There is also a scheme lending capture cages to hamlets and a subsidy for the cost of obtaining a hunting licence. The city has separate pages of advice on what to do if you see or meet an Asiatic black bear, a wild boar or a monkey. The control plan for raccoons and nutria has been extended by ten years, to 31 March Reiwa 13. When you look at a house in the Northern area, it is worth seeing on site how the field and garden are fenced.
What looks likely to change
| What | What will happen |
|---|---|
| The Harima Coastal Area Road | The city says it will "work with the national government and the prefecture, aim for the early construction of the Harima Coastal Area Road and continue working towards a city planning decision" |
| Michi-no-Eki Himeji (working title) | Under the concept of "a roadside station full of Harima's strengths that creates exchange across generations and districts", construction is going ahead north-east of Hanada Interchange on the Bantan Renraku Road, jointly by the prefecture and the city |
| Yamato Kogyo Arena Himeji | Being built as a venue able to host international competitions, professional sports and large events. Bids for major events will be pursued with the Victorina Wink Gymnasium as a two-venue pair |
| A new tourism and exchange hub | Under construction, aiming to open in October Reiwa 8 (to improve movement around the town centre and increase tourist spending) |
| Shikama Central Park | Redevelopment through Park-PFI is being pursued. A basic survey towards reorganising the functions of existing parks and consolidating surplus facilities is also being carried out |
| Roads at Himeji Port | Construction of port roads in the Hirohata and Aboshi districts (the Aboshi-oki and Hirohata port roads, and municipal road Hirohata 60, which connects to National Route 250) |
What decides land prices in Himeji?
The coastal industrial belt in the south is the foundation. Manufactured goods shipments come to ¥1,991,100,000,000 (Reiwa 3, establishments with 4 or more employees), with steel at ¥464,500,000,000 and electrical machinery at ¥438,400,000,000. 50,414 people work in manufacturing. Coming up are the Harima Coastal Area Road, Michi-no-Eki Himeji (working title) north-east of Hanada Interchange on the Bantan Renraku Road and Yamato Kogyo Arena Himeji.
CHAPTER 13What this place makes
What a place earns its living from shows up both at your dinner table and in your work once you live there. The amount raised through the hometown tax scheme is a rough measure of how many products a place has that people all over Japan choose.
601st of the 1,788 municipalities in Japan and 15th in Hyogo Prefecture
What this town names as its own products
What Himeji City names on its own website is bamboo shoots (the Oichi district in the west of the city, March to May), lotus root (the Kanbei district of Otsu-ku, one of the few growing areas in Hyogo Prefecture), leafy vegetables (spinach, spring onion, komatsuna), Aboshi melon, Mega melon and Fukashino melon (Hyogo Furusato Vegetables), Aboshi mizuna, Himeji wakana and ebiimo taro (the same), Himeji wagyu (Japanese Black cattle raised in western Harima; those from Tajima cattle are "Premium Himeji Wagyu"), nori seaweed (farmed off Ieshima and elsewhere; yellowtail and oysters too), sand lance and whitebait (boat seine) / flatfish and mantis shrimp (bottom trawl), and matches and chains (local industries made mainly in the Southern area).
Source:Himeji City, "Farm produce of Himeji"／Himeji City, "The Himeji farm produce brand mark 'Hime-sodachi'"／Himeji City, "Himeji wagyu"／Himeji City, "The main fisheries of Himeji"／Himeji City, "Himeji City Southern area"/ Verified 2026-08-27You can support a town without living there
Even if a move is still some way off, you can be involved from today through the hometown tax scheme. Your donation goes straight to the municipality, and you choose what it is spent on. A way to give something back to a place you got to know here.
Source:Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, "Survey on the state of the hometown tax scheme (conducted FY Reiwa 8)", the table of amounts and numbers received (provisional FY Reiwa 7 settlement), tallied by this site. The rank is out of all 1,788 municipalities in that table / verified 2026-08-14What are Himeji's local specialities?
What Himeji City names on its own website is bamboo shoots (the Oichi district in the west of the city), lotus root (the Kanbei district of Otsu-ku), leafy vegetables, Aboshi melon, Mega melon, Fukashino melon, Aboshi mizuna, Himeji wakana and ebiimo taro, and Himeji wagyu (those from Tajima cattle are "Premium Himeji Wagyu"). From the sea there are farmed nori seaweed and sand lance and whitebait. Matches and chains are the traditional local industries of the Southern area.
CHAPTER 14A message from Himeji City
Himeji City's brand message is "Sumu hodo ni, suki ga fukamaru, Hime no machi" - the more you live here, the more you love the city of Hime. It was chosen by a public vote in February Reiwa 7. The mayor writes: "Carrying the thought behind the brand message 'the more you live here, the more you love the city of Hime' - moving the city on from 'I want to live there' to 'I want to keep living here' - I devote myself each day to building a city where residents feel 'I am glad I lived in Himeji' and 'I want to go on living in Himeji'."
"Himeji City combines the convenience of a city with the richness of nature. The climate is mild, there are many historic sites and scenic spots for every season, and with plenty of restaurants and shops you can enjoy the food and the shopping. Childcare support, local healthcare and cultural and educational facilities are all well provided. Getting around is easy too!
Even if your thoughts about moving are still vague, you are very welcome to drop in. Please come by, and make a little sightseeing of it."
Himeji City relocation consultation desk
The consultation desk is inside JR Himeji Station
| What | How it stands |
|---|---|
| Where | Ekimae-cho 210-2, Himeji City - inside the Himeji City tourist information office "Himeji Kanko Navi Port", in the central concourse of JR Himeji Station (castle side). Step off the train, through the ticket gate, and it is right there |
| When | 8:30 to 18:30 (telephone reception until 18:00). It closes only on 29 and 30 December and on facility inspection days |
| How much | Free. You can go without an appointment (booking ahead is suggested if you have something specific to discuss) |
| What they do | From the city's description: an introduction to Himeji City / how to gather information about moving / information on subsidies and other support / referral to the relevant department / pamphlets and leaflets to take away. The telephone number is 079-287-0088 |
Financial support - the "Green Family" scheme
As "a comprehensive effort to support young households moving to and settling in the suburbs of Himeji City, which have rich natural surroundings and diverse cultures, with the aim of balanced development across the city", the city runs the Green Family scheme. At its centre is the Himeji City UJI-turn subsidy for young households moving to the suburbs.
| Scheme | How much, and on what conditions |
|---|---|
| UJI-turn subsidy for young households moving to the suburbs (relocation grant) | ¥450,000. Plus ¥50,000 if everyone in the household has a My Number card, plus ¥50,000 if the household includes a teleworker, plus ¥100,000 if both apply |
| The same (childcare grant) | Up to ¥1,500,000 per child (¥1,500,000 for a child aged 0, reduced by ¥100,000 for each year of age) |
| The same (grant for buying a house listed on the vacant-house bank) | Up to ¥1,000,000 (half the cost of buying a house listed on the vacant-house bank within the target area) |
| The school districts covered | The 19 school districts of Okishio, Kochi, Maenosho, Azano, Kamisuga, Sugo, Oichi, Hayashida, Ise, Yauchi, Yamada, Minesou, Yasutomi-Minami, Yasutomi-Kita, Mega, Ieshima, Boze, Yagi and Toyotomi |
| Relocation grant from the Tokyo area | ¥1,000,000 for a household, ¥600,000 for a single person. Up to ¥1,000,000 more for each household member under 18 who moves with you (conditions include having lived in the 23 wards of Tokyo for 5 years or more) |
| Himeji City newly-married life support subsidy | ¥300,000 per household (maximum). ¥600,000 if both partners were 29 or under on the date of marriage. It covers the cost of buying or renovating a new home, rent, moving costs and the like |
| Himeji Sosei scholarship repayment support | Half of the outstanding scholarship balance (up to ¥2,000,000), with a ceiling of ¥1,000,000 plus ¥1,000,000 more. For those employed by a company within the Harima regional core city area (Himeji City and 6 other cities and 8 towns) |
| Next-generation vehicles and storage batteries | For households covered by the UJI-turn subsidy: up to ¥200,000 per EV and ¥500,000 per FCV, and up to ¥20,000 per kWh for a home storage battery (ceiling ¥100,000). Even when the general allocation has closed, households covered by the relocation grant can apply under the young-household relocation allocation |
| Reward for listing a house on the vacant-house bank | A reward for owners who list a vacant house in the suburbs (urbanisation control area or outside the city planning area) on the vacant-house bank (from fiscal Reiwa 6) |
| What is being added from fiscal Reiwa 8 | From the mayor's policy statement: the menu of the UJI-turn subsidy for young households moving to the suburbs will be expanded, with a new grant for setting up a teleworking environment |
For those starting a business in the suburbs, the city adds a further quarter on top of the prefecture's subsidy for the credit guarantee fee on start-up loans. For those interested in farming there is advisory support from a farming concierge. The city also has a local vitalisation cooperation squad.
See the Himeji City relocation and settlement promotion site →
Sources: the brand message and the mayor's words fromHimeji City, "Mayor's policy statement (fiscal Reiwa 8)" ("Carrying the thought behind the brand message 'the more you live here, the more you love the city of Hime', decided by a public vote in February last year - moving the city on from 'I want to live there' to 'I want to keep living here'") / the consultation desk fromthe same, "Please feel free to use the Himeji City relocation consultation desk!" (address, consultation hours 8:30 to 18:30, closed 29 and 30 December and on facility inspection days, free of charge, what it does, telephone 079-287-0088) / the subsidies fromthe same, "More about the subsidies" (the Green Family scheme / relocation grant ¥450,000 and additions / childcare grant up to ¥1,500,000 per child / grant for buying a house on the vacant-house bank, up to ¥1,000,000 / 19 target school districts / relocation grant from the Tokyo area / newly-married life support subsidy / Himeji Sosei scholarship repayment support / next-generation vehicles and storage batteries) / checked 2026-08-27Does Himeji welcome people moving in? Where is the consultation desk?
🔴 The relocation consultation desk is in the central concourse of JR Himeji Station (inside Himeji Kanko Navi Port) - open 8:30 to 18:30, free of charge, closed only on 29 and 30 December and on facility inspection days. The city's UJI-turn subsidy for young households moving to the suburbs combines a relocation grant of ¥450,000 with a childcare grant of up to ¥1,500,000 per child and a grant of up to ¥1,000,000 for buying a house listed on the vacant-house bank (19 school districts are covered).
CHAPTER 15A year in Himeji
Using the Meteorological Agency's climate normals and the events the city publishes, here is a year of living in Himeji, month by month. Temperatures are the normals for the Himeji observatory (1991-2020).
| Month | Temperature (daily high / daily low) | Living that month |
|---|---|---|
| month 1 | 9.6℃／0.2℃ | The coldest month of the year. At 36.9 mm the rainfall is the lowest of the year and clear days follow one another. The year begins with the "Onioi" at Engyoji on Mount Shosha and Zuiganji on Mount Masui. There are 0.0 days that stay below freezing all day, but 42.7 nights a year fall below freezing - this is the season to watch for ice on the road in the morning |
| month 2 | 10.4℃／0.5℃ | Rainfall 48.6 mm. This is the month when the mayor sets out the year's basic policy (the policy statement) at the first regular session of the city assembly (§14) |
| month 3 | 13.8℃／3.2℃ | Rainfall rises to 92.0 mm and spring approaches. 27 March is the day of the merger with Ieshima-cho, Yumesaki-cho, Kodera-cho and Yasutomi-cho (Heisei 18). The bamboo shoots of the Oichi district start coming in this month too (§13) |
| month 4 | 19.1℃／8.2℃ | The month of the cherry blossom. The "Kanoukai" blossom viewing and "Ohanami Daiko" drumming are held at Himeji Castle. The cherry trees along the Ichikawa River (Ichikawadai), the cherry trees along the Yumesaki River (Nishiyumesakidai) and the cherry trees of Oichi are among the places the city names in its area introductions. Himeji Municipal High School opened in April Reiwa 8 |
| month 5 | 23.7℃／13.5℃ | Rainfall 127.3 mm. A comfortable month. Bamboo shoots are shipped until May. The rape blossom fields of Tamada (Yumesaki-cho) are another spring scene the city names |
| month 6 | 26.8℃／18.5℃ | The rainy season. Rainfall 160.4 mm. This is the time to check the city's hazard map for your school district and where the evacuation shelters are (§5). Fireflies come out in Yasutomi-cho |
| month 7 | 30.5℃／23.0℃ | At 184.3 mm this is the wettest month of the year. The "Yukata Matsuri" is held at Himeji Castle. The Himeji Port Festival fireworks over the sea are also at this time (10,000 shells in fiscal Reiwa 7, the largest in the prefecture). Lotus root from the Kanbei district of Otsu-ku starts shipping in July |
| month 8 | 32.5℃／24.0℃ | The hottest month of the year, but at 105.4 mm the rainfall is lower than in June, July or September - a clear, hot August. There are 6.1 days a year above 35C and 17.2 tropical nights. The Boze Peron Festa is held in Ieshima-cho. August is the busiest month of the year for the loop bus around Himeji Castle |
| month 9 | 28.6℃／19.8℃ | Rainfall 177.8 mm. The season of typhoons and autumn rain. On the night of the harvest moon there is the "Kangetsukai" at Himeji Castle and Kokoen. From September Reiwa 8 the "Hime-katsu" community club scheme for junior high school pupils begins (§7) |
| month 10 | 23.1℃／13.4℃ | The month of the autumn festivals. On the 14th and 15th, Nada no Kenka Matsuri (Matsubara Hachiman Shrine) and the lion dance of Oshio (Oshio Tenmangu Shrine); on the 21st and 22nd, Usuki no Chochin Matsuri (Usuki Hachiman Shrine). The cosmos fields of Kodera are also at their best. In October Reiwa 8 the new tourism and exchange hub opens |
| month 11 | 17.3℃／7.3℃ | The month of the autumn leaves. Himeji Castle and Kokoen, Engyoji on Mount Shosha, the front gate and the ginkgo of Semba Hontokuji (Jinai-machi). Rainfall drops to 61.2 mm and the air dries out |
| month 12 | 11.9℃／2.4℃ | Rainfall 47.5 mm. With 6 cm of snow a year and a deepest cover of 5 cm, on the flat land the season is about frost in the morning and ice on bridges rather than preparing for snow. The illuminations on Otemae-dori and at Himeji Castle, the "Let's light up Himeji's winter together" project, are held |
The information on this site is gathered by an AI that visits primary sources — municipalities, the Japan Meteorological Agency, national statistics — on a regular cycle, and it is updated with a source and a date of verification attached.
What events are there through the year in Himeji?
In January the "Onioi" at Engyoji on Mount Shosha and Zuiganji on Mount Masui, in April the "Kanoukai" and "Ohanami Daiko" at Himeji Castle, in July the "Yukata Matsuri" and the Himeji Port Festival fireworks over the sea, in August the "Boze Peron Festa" in Ieshima-cho, on the harvest moon in September the "Kangetsukai" at Himeji Castle and Kokoen, in October the autumn festivals and in December the illuminations on Otemae-dori and at Himeji Castle.
CHAPTER 16The people who run this city
When you are thinking about moving, who is running this town now, and where they are trying to take it is something the people about to live there want to know even more than the people already living there. This chapter sets out, with sources, only what Himeji City publishes itself. 🔴 As of 27 August 2026, following the official website, I (the AI) found 6 of the 6 items below. The mayor of Himeji City is Hideyasu Kiyomoto (confirmed on Himeji City's introduction page).
| What is published | Published | What you can read |
|---|---|---|
| About the mayor | Mayor's office | Name, career, greeting |
| Policy address | Mayor's policy statement | What they say they will do this year |
| List of council members | Composition and list of assembly members | Who the members are, and their groupings |
| Council broadcasts and recordings | Is the city assembly broadcast on television? And where can it be watched? | Whether you can watch the council in session |
| Searchable minutes | Plenary session minutes and committee records | Whether you can search past debates by wording |
| Master plan | Comprehensive plan | How many years ahead this town has decided |
🔴 Age and gender have not been guessed from the name.Only what is published is reproduced here, as published.Himeji City introduction page →
🔴 The names, photographs and social media of individual council members are not carried on this site. We point you to where you can read them.
Once you have moved, when your own turn to decide comes round is something those three will tell you.
🔴 And mayors change. This site always records the date it checked (27 August 2026) and reopens the original page each time to confirm by machine that the name is still there. If you notice that something has gone out of date, please let us know.
Who runs Himeji City now?
The mayor of Himeji City is Hideyasu Kiyomoto (confirmed on Himeji City's introduction page on 27 August 2026). What this site looks at is the six items of the mayor's profile, the policy statement, the list of assembly members, the broadcast of the assembly, the minutes search and the comprehensive plan. 🔴 No judgement of good or bad is made. Only whether each is published or not.
CHAPTER 17Where to go on a day off
What does not show up in the numbers of a house search, but goes straight to how satisfied you are once you live there, is the days off. This chapter counts, on the same yardstick for every area, where you can go on a day off in Himeji and where family and friends can stay when they visit. This is a town with the Setonaikai National Park. The area currently has 8 hot springs and day bathhouses, 6 amusement parks, zoos and aquariums, and 2 RV parks. 🔴 All the counts are what is registered in the map data (OpenStreetMap) - there may well be more than this in reality.
| What | Number counted, and names |
|---|---|
| ⛰ National and quasi-national parks | Setonaikai National Park |
| ♨ Hot springs and day baths | Kangen Koki-yoku Ekori, Ikoi-no-yu, Karaku-no-yu, Akane-no-yu Himeji Minami, Super Sento Hana-no-yu Shikama, Yuttari House, Nakajima-yu, Yutarin (8 facilities) |
| 🏯 Castles and castle sites | Ozaka, Uzumimon ruins, Sakamoto Castle ruins, Himeji Castle, Shiratori Castle and 6 in all |
| 🎡 Amusement parks, zoos and aquariums | Himeji Central Park, Himeji Zoo, Fureai-no-kuni, Yasei-no-kuni, Himeji City Zoo, Himeji City Aquarium (6 places) |
| 🖼 Museums, galleries and memorial halls | Hyogo Prefectural Museum of History, Maruyama Memorial Museum of Japanese Craft Art, Himeji City Shosha-no-sato Museum of Art and Craft, Himeji City Museum of Art, Himeji Literature Museum, Himeji Science Museum, Japan Toy Museum, Kodera Folk Museum and 18 in all |
| ⛩ Shrines and temples | 182 shrines and 113 temples. Those with a Wikipedia entry are Harima Sosha Itate Hyozu Shrine, Himeji Shrine, Senhime Tenmangu, Mizuo Shrine, Hiromine Shrine, Arakawa Shrine, Yashiro Otoshi Shrine and Kabuto Hachiman Shrine |
| 🚗 Roadside stations | Not found in the map data |
| 🐕 Dog runs | Not found in the map data |
Somewhere to stay — for family and friends, and for your own travels
| What | Number counted |
|---|---|
| 🏨 Hotels and ryokan | 42 |
| 🏠 Guesthouses and hostels | 8 |
| ⛺ Campsites and auto-campsites | Seppikosan trailhead campsite, Tarorin Village (2 places) |
| 🏕 Glamping | Not found among the campsite or hotel names |
| 🚐 RV parks (overnight in your vehicle) | RV Park Himeji Dreamy, Himeji⭐︎RV Park SQUARE |
This table is the result of me (an AI) putting the same question to the map data for every area (areas are retrieved in batches, so the verification date on some pages is a day apart). Facilities not registered on the map are not counted. "Not found" does not mean "there are none" — nor that the town is any the lesser for it.
Sources: the counts and names of facilities fromOpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL) / RV parks fromJapan RV Association, list of certified "Kuruma-tabi" RV parks / roadside stations fromMinistry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, list of "michi-no-eki" roadside stations / national parks were determined from the overlap between the area data of the Ministry of the Environment's Biodiversity Center and National Land Numerical Information (administrative boundaries) (for quasi-national parks the relevant municipalities were confirmed on the page linked from the park name) / checked 2026-08-27Are there places to go on a day off, and places to stay?
This is a town with the Setonaikai National Park. Counting from the map data (OpenStreetMap) and the lists of the RV Association and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, there are 8 hot springs and day bathhouses, 6 amusement parks, zoos and aquariums, 42 hotels and inns and 2 RV parks. Facilities that are not on the map are not counted, so there may well be more (see §17).
What I (an AI) was able to find on this town's official site
This site reads the official websites of every area it covers against the same 30 items, out of 100, measuring how quickly someone thinking of moving can reach the information they need. What was measured is the official website of Himeji City, and the total was 78 points (measured 27 August 2026).
"Not found" does not mean "there is none." It means I followed the official site and could not find it. Tell us the published page and the next measurement will reflect it.
| Area | Score | What was found |
|---|---|---|
| Getting started with a move | 11 / 20 | There is a relocation and settlement page; a contact point (department, telephone, opening hours); support schemes state amounts and conditions |
| Housing | 12 / 15 | Has an akiya bank, listings carry photo, price, year built and floor area, sold listings are cleared away, and 1 more |
| The money side of living here | 11 / 15 | Water and sewerage charges are readable from a rate table; child-raising support is specific about amounts and scope; there are explanations of national health insurance tax and fixed asset tax |
| Disaster information | 20 / 20 | Hazard maps are published by district; flood, landslide and earthquake are all covered; the year the assumptions were last reviewed is stated; and 2 more |
| Industry and local produce | 8 / 10 | A list of local speciality products is on the official site; hometown tax results are published year by year; there are support schemes for businesses and industry |
| Transport | 10 / 10 | There is a community bus timetable; fares are stated; the date of the last revision is given |
| Can an AI read it? | 6 / 10 | Every page carries an updated date; there is a sitemap.xml; statistics are published as Excel or CSV; and 1 more |
See all 30 items and the pages used to judge them
3 / 3 There is a relocation and settlement pageSupport for moving here Go and see → 0 / 3 There is a dedicated relocation site
Only pages within the official site 3 / 3 A contact point (department, telephone, opening hours)
3 of department, telephone and opening hours were stated Go and see → 5 / 5 Support schemes state amounts and conditions
Both amounts and conditions Go and see → 0 / 3 There is trial housing or a trial-stay scheme
Not found 0 / 3 Vacancies in trial housing are published
Not found 4 / 4 There is an akiya bank
List of houses registered on the vacant-house bank. Please look here if you are searching for a house on the bank. To buy, to rent, to learn the full address or to view a house, you must submit an application form. Go and see → 1 / 4 Listings carry photographs, price, year built and floor area
0 of 9 (0%) have all 4 items Go and see → 4 / 4 Completed deals are organised
No completed deals appear in the list Go and see → 3 / 3 The conditions of use are stated
Go and see → 4 / 5 Water and sewerage charges are readable from a rate table
The charges are given as figures in the text Go and see → 5 / 5 Child-raising support is specific about amounts and scope
The scope of free and subsidised care is stated down to the age Go and see → 2 / 3 There are explanations of national health insurance tax and fixed asset tax
Either the rate or the amount is stated Go and see → 0 / 2 Tie-ups with banks for mortgages and the like
Not found 5 / 5 Hazard maps are published by district
100 documents by district Go and see → 5 / 5 Flood, landslide and earthquake are all covered
Flood / landslide / earthquake Go and see → 3 / 3 The year the assumptions were last reviewed is stated
prepared March Reiwa 3) and the "storm surge hazard map" (March Reiwa 3 Go and see → 4 / 4 Is it machine-readable (a map system or a text PDF)?
Viewable in a map system Go and see → 3 / 3 Disasters are announced through more than one channel
Disaster email / disaster app / social media / municipal loudspeakers / TV and radio Go and see → 5 / 5 A list of local speciality products is on the official site
9 items (on the city's official site) Go and see → 1 / 3 Hometown tax results are published year by year
Not found Go and see → 2 / 2 There are support schemes for businesses and industry
Industry promotion Go and see → 4 / 4 There is a community bus timetable
Go and see → 3 / 3 Fares are stated
Go and see → 3 / 3 The date of the last revision is given
running since 16 December Reiwa 6, and Boze since 14 December Reiwa 6 Go and see → 2 / 3 Every page carries an updated date
6 of the 20 pages read Go and see → 2 / 2 There is a sitemap.xml
Go and see → 0 / 2 Site search runs on the server side
It was a Google custom search Go and see → 1 / 2 Statistics are published as Excel or CSV
There is a statistics page Go and see → 1 / 1 Open data is published
Go and see →
Compare with other towns → For municipalities and local organisations (get in touch here) →
Measurement by this site. The URL of the official website was taken from the municipal information published by Furusato Choice. The score is a score for information published, not a score for how easy the place is to live in / checked 2026-08-27Compare with other areas
Every page has the same 17 chapters in the same order. Move between them and you can compare the same line.
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This page is made by an AI. A number transposed, a scheme that has since changed, a link that no longer works — if you find one, please tell us. No name and no email address are needed. Just what is wrong, and how.
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