Photo/Illutration Himeji Castle in Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

HIMEJI, Hyogo Prefecture--The inner sanctum of historic Himeji Castle, normally off-limits to visitors, is being thrown open to the public for limited viewing until Sept. 24.

Five of the areas at the World Cultural Heritage site are designated by the central government as national treasures.

They are: (1) the “i-no-watari-yagura” passage; (2) the east sub-keep; (3) the “ro-no-watari-yagura” passage; (4) the Inui sub-keep; and (5) the “ha-no-watari-yagura” passage. The sixth area is the Oremawari turret, which is a state-designated important cultural property.

Visitors are encouraged to visit the structures in the order of 1 to 5 as they are interconnected and surround the main keep from the northeast.

The Oremawari turret can be visited before or after the other five structures as it is located to the southeast of the main keep, away from the others.

The hallmark of Himeji Castle is that it was built in the “renritsu-shiki tenshu” style, in which the main keep (daitenshu) and the three sub-keeps (kotenshu) are connected by the watari-yagura passages.

One of the highlights of the summer event is the ro-no-watari-yagura.

The 30-meter-long passage is lined with three rows of floorboards, with the center row executed with the “chonahatsuri” technique of 400 years ago to create scale-like uneven patterns on the surface.

The west sub-keep will be unveiled to the public for the first time during a special exhibition in February 2024.

The hilltop castle complex, regarded as the one of the finest feudal-era fortresses in Japan, dates to 1333.

Admission to the castle is 1,000 yen ($6.80) for adults and 300 yen for elementary, junior and senior high school students.

An additional entrance fee to the special exhibition is also required, which is 500 yen for adults and 200 yen for elementary, junior and senior high school students.

For inquiries, go to (https://www.city.himeji.lg.jp/castle/0000024786.html).