Himeji, Hyōgo

Infobox City Japan
Name= Himeji
JapaneseName= 姫路
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Region= Kansai
Prefecture= Hyōgo Prefecture
District=
Area_km2= 533
PopDate= 2008
Population= 535,571
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LatitudeDegrees= 34
LatitudeMinutes= 49
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LongtitudeDegrees= 134
LongtitudeMinutes= 41
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SymbolDescription= Flag
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nihongo|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.

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 Shisō District, the town of Kōdera from Kanzaki District, and the towns of Ieshima and Yumesaki from Shikama District merged into Himeji.

Points of interest

Originally 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), the Himeji City Tegarayama Botanical Garden and the Koko-en Garden.

Twinnings

Himeji has sister city relationships with six international sister cities and two domestic cities, as well as a sister castle located in France. [http://www.city.himeji.lg.jp/profile/sister.html Sister Cities] . ja icon City of Himeji. Accessed August 24, 2008.]

ister cities

;International
* Charleroi, Belgium
* Phoenix, United States
* Adelaide, Australia
* Curitiba, Brazil
* Taiyuan, People's Republic of China
* Masan, South Korea;Domestic
* Matsumoto, in the Nagano Prefecture, Japan.
* Tottori, capital city in the Tottori Prefecture, Japan.

ister castle

* Château de Chantilly in Chantilly, France.

Famous people from Himeji

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

Gallery

External links

*ja icon [http://www.city.himeji.hyogo.jp/ Official website]
*en icon [http://www.himeji-kanko.jp/en/index.html Official tourism website]
*wikitravelpar|Himeji

References