Job Discussion Forums

[elliot79]

I'll be working at the Queens and would love to make any friends who are in that area.

also i'm not entirely sure what part of Himeji I will be living in, but i know the school is in Aboshi.

could you please tell me what the areas are both like, in terms of living expenses, social places to go to, things to do etc.

I'll be flying out on the 9th December and my husband will be joining me.

i appreciate any help, information.

[elliot79]

and would somebody please be able to tell me how many foreigners there are in Himeji please.

[Bread]

I have no idea what Himeji/Hemeji/Hemije is, but I just wanted to point it out that you've spelled it three different ways already.

[elliot79]

I'm sorry, i've been really stressed.

The correct way to spell it is: Himeji

i've edited my posts.

[Kaycie21]

Himeji is a castle city, the main thing is Himeji castle, which is quite nice. The town itself is pretty quiet, aka dead. You will see a lot of travelers near the castle area though. There are a few shops in the shopping arcade, but nothing major. I didn't take the time to roam around the city itself, only the shopping area from the train to the castle itself.
Your area specifically, I have no clue about.
If I remember correctly, Himeji is about an hour away from major cities by train. Sorry I can't answer your questions, as I was only there to see the castle.

[Rakuten]

The Himeji castle is very beautiful. It's my favourite of all the castles I've seen in Japan- including Osaka, Nagoya, Aomori etc. I really like how labyrinth/maze-like it is. On a nice day, it's great to just leisurely wander around and find a nice secluded spot and just relax and take in the surroundings and the nice weather.

As far as the town of Himeji is concerned, I don't know much about it aside from the castle which it is famous for- but I had a Japanese friend who lived in Himeji and liked it over there. They also commuted to Osaka for school via the trains everyday- so it's pretty close to many big cities in the Kansai area including Osaka/Nara and also Hiroshima in Chugoku region.

[Diceman]

The castle is under construction now so it's not really much to look at. The town itself very much dies at night, only a few restaurants or bars to go to, but no idea about your specific area. I know that there are a few foreigners that hang out in the bars, some of them your typical obnoxious blokes. Don't know anything else about the community.

[elliot79]

Thanks guys, i really appreiciate the feedback.

i've been told there are 2 'English' pubs there, so I hope i meet some forigners there, until i get more settled in.

[wiawc]

I arrived in himeji just a week ago...so would love to meet anyone living there

[elliot79]

whereabout are you? i work in Aboshi and have Sundays and Monday's off.

PM and i'll give you my e-mail address and we can meet up if you like

are you working here?

[formersensei]

I visited Himeji a lot when I lived in the area. There are some great restaurants near the castle, including a great little Indian restaurant. There are extensive gardens near the castle which are nice. It is less than an hour to the Akashi bridge, which is beautiful at night- color changing lights. Across the bridge are the world's largest whirlpools at Naruto. That's a good day trip.

[Zzonkmiles]

Himeji is about 45 minutes west of Kobe by train, and about 1 hour and 15 minutes west of Osaka by train (assuming you're taking the tokkyu/special express). The town itself is not so large, but it does have a relatively high percentage of foreigners there.

There are a lot of tourists who come to Himeji because of the castle. I'd imagine that most young people probably catch the train to Kobe to hang out. There are certainly worse places to be, as you are resaonably close to several major cities. Himeji is the final stop on the JR's Kobe Line.