Probably until 6 pm on weekdays and Saturdays during November

You are correct. You buy ticket at the station and must walk to the castle .after seeing castle go to the bus stop at the T intersection in front of the castle and catch the correct bus to the ropeway. You cannot get off the bus and then get back on in the same direction. catch the bus back to the station all the way to the station. Hope this helps.

Hi, We did the same day-trip plan for kyoto-himeji-shoshazan. Your planned time of 0730 to 1900 should be sufficient as long as you keep realistic visit duration for Himeji Castle because the last ropeway from Shoshazan to Himeji bus station is about 5 pm. Do check on Japan Sightseeing Guide for more details. Shoshazan Engyoji temple is reachable by combination of bus ride (from Himeji station, 28 minutes) and ropeway (5 minutes). A combination return ticket of 1300 yen is available at the bus station at Himeji station. From the entrance of the temple complex, visitors have 2 choices to tour this complex, ie. hiking or taking Microbus to Maniden Temple (it means 33 Places) which cost 1000 yen. By hiking, visitors will take the Saigoku Pilgrimage Road where Niomon Gate can be viewed and many artifacts are displayed along the path. It is a huge place and hiking through most of the areas can take a long time. So, a good mix of Microbus first and then hiking can save some energy and time. Have a great tour.