Tegarayama is a wooded hill south-west of the city centre that has been turned into a sprawling municipal park. The summit gives a different angle on Himeji Castle from the south, and the slopes are dotted with a botanical garden under glass, an aquarium, a pool, and a planetarium. It is a good place to spend a couple of hours with kids or to walk off lunch.
The botanical garden's greenhouses are open year round and best for tropical plants you would not otherwise see in this part of Japan. The park is twenty minutes on foot from Shikama Station or a short bus ride from the main station.