Himeji, Hyōgo

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Himeji
姫路

Himeji's location in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan.
Location
Country	Japan
Region	Kansai
Prefecture	Hyōgo Prefecture
Physical characteristics
Area	533 km² (206 sq mi)
Population (as of 2008)
Total	535,571
Symbols
Flag
Himeji Government Office

Himeji (姫路市, Himeji-shi^?) is a city located in Hyōgo Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 535,571. The total area is 533 km².

Contents 1 History 2 Points of interest 3 Sister cities and Sister castle 4 Famous people from Himeji 5 External links

[edit] History

Himeji was municipalized on April 1, 1889. Himeji is also called "the kingdom of Shinkin bank", as the headquarters of four Shinkin banks are located here. After the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake, the Japanese government reportedly considered moving the nation's capital from Tokyo to Himeji.

On March 27, 2006, the town of Yasutomi from Shiso District, the town of Kodera from Kanzaki District, and the towns of Ieshima and Yumesaki from Shikama District merged into Himeji.

[edit] Points of interest

A castle town, Himeji is home to the Himeji Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Other attractions include the Engyō-ji temple, Mount Seppiko-san, Himeji Central Park (a safari park), and the Himeji City Tegarayama Botanical Garden.

[edit] Sister cities and Sister castle

Himeji has six international sister cities, an international sister castle, and relationships with two Japanese sister cities[1].

Sister cities:

• Charleroi, Belgium
• Phoenix, United States
• Adelaide, Australia
• Curitiba, Brazil
• Taiyuan, People's Republic of China
• Masan, South Korea

Sister cities in Japan:

• Matsumoto, in the Nagano Prefecture, Japan.
• Tottori, capital city in the Tottori Prefecture, Japan.

Sister castle:

• Château de Chantilly in Chantilly, France.

[edit] Famous people from Himeji

• Aya Matsuura, entertainer
• Psycho le Cému, visual rock band
• Kenzo Takada, fashion designer
• Tetsuro Watsuji, philosopher and historian

[edit] External links

• (Japanese) Official website
• (English) Official tourism website
• Himeji travel guide from Wikitravel
• (English) Photos of Himeji-jo - Terra Galleria

Hyōgo Prefecture
Cities
Aioi | Akashi | Akō | Amagasaki | Asago | Ashiya | Awaji | Himeji | Itami | Kakogawa | Kasai | Katō | Kawanishi | Kobe (capital) | Miki | Minamiawaji | Nishinomiya | Nishiwaki | Ono | Sanda | Sasayama | Shisō | Sumoto | Takarazuka | Takasago | Tamba | Tatsuno | Toyooka | Yabu
Districts
Akō | Ibo | Kako | Kanzaki | Kawabe | Mikata | Sayō | Taka
See also: Towns and villages by district edit

Coordinates: 34°49′N, 134°41′E