Himeji Castle in Hyogo Prefecture attracted a record 2.87 million visitors in fiscal 2015. | KYODO

National

Himeji attracted record 2.87 million visitors in 2015

Kyodo

KOBE - Himeji Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Hyogo Prefecture, attracted the biggest number of visitors among the nation’s historical castles in fiscal 2015, it emerged this week.

Himeji Castle attracted 2,867,051 visitors, taking the No. 1 spot for the first time. Among them, overseas visitors surpassed a record-high 300,000.

The surge in popularity is largely attributed to its reopening in March 2015 after a 5½-year major refurbishment.

The previous record for visitors to Himeji Castle was about 1.74 million in fiscal 1964.

In fiscal 2015, Osaka Castle came in second with 2,337,000 visitors, Shuri Castle in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, was third with 1,875,000, Nijo Castle in the city of Kyoto fourth with 1,776,000, and Kumamoto Castle in the city of Kumamoto fifth with 1,775,000.

“We will work hard to continue to attract a lot of visitors this year,” an official at the Himeji Castle management office said.

LATEST NATIONAL STORIES

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japan's Liberal Democratic Party Secretary General Toshihiro Nikai shake hands in Beijing on Wednesday

Chinese President Xi vows to visit Japan in June to attend G20 summit: Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday told the secretary general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party that he will visit Japan in June to attend this year's summit of the Group of 20 major...

Ninety percent of young female recruits expect their future husbands to take paternity leave, according to a survey by recruitment information firm Disco Inc.

Female recruits in Japan want to balance full-time jobs with family, and husbands' help with kids: A majority of young female recruits in Japan desire both full-time careers and a family, with 90 percent expecting their future husbands to take paternity leave, according to recent findings by ...

One of the plaintiffs seeking damages for forced sterilization (right) watches an Upper House session pass legislation Wednesday to compensate survivors and offer an apology, as his lawyer also looks on.

Diet passes bill to pay ¥3.2 million each to victims forcibly sterilized under Japan's eugenics law: The Diet enacted legislation Wednesday to pay ¥3.2 million in state compensation to each person who underwent forced sterilization under the nation's now-defunct eugenics law. The law setting ou...