Visiting Himeji Castle meant stepping on our 7th prefecture in Japan, the Hyogo Prefecture. Similar to our Nara trip, our one and main goal was to see the majestic white castle that lies on a hilltop and that was never destroyed by war or any calamity.
| Date | Place | Preview |
|---|---|---|
| April 29 | Airport Tour = Missed flight! |  |
| April 30 | Tokyo Tour Tokyo Prefecture |  |
| May 1 | Nikko Tour Tochigi Prefecture |  |
| May 2 | Mount Fuji Tour Shizuoka and Kanagawa Prefecture |  |
| May 3 | Osaka Tour Osaka Prefecture |  |
| May 4 AM | Todaiji Temple in Nara Nara Prefecture |  |
| May 4 PM | Kyoto Tour I Kyoto Prefecture |  |
| May 5 | Kyoto Tour II Kyoto Prefecture |  |
| May 6 AM | Himeji Tour Hyogo Prefecture |  |
| May 6 PM | Kobe Tour Hyogo Prefecture |  |
| May 7 | Hiroshima Tour Hiroshima Prefecture |  |
Place Visited
May 6, 2016
Tips and Notes
May 6, 2016
Himeji Castle
Himeji Castle was a couple of hours away from Osaka, where we were staying. What stands out from this castle among all the other castles we visited is its elegance due to the white exterior. Thus, it was worth visiting in spite of the almost 2-kilometer walk after a 2-hour train ride in the early, cold, drizzling morning.
Why are all castles far away from the train stations? Just like the Osaka castle, it was 1.6 kilometers distance and we almost got lost (or we almost lost our legs?) finding our way out of the massive Osaka park. At least for Himeji Castle, it was a circular route around the castle. No other way out.
Along the way to the castle, we passed by several bronze statues and in some, we paused to take photos. I could remember one comment from my friend, “Why are all these statues naked?” Ahm, well…
Anyway, all the more did I appreciate this castle after reading that it was the first ever registered UNESCO World Cultural Heritage in Japan in 1993. Plus the fact I mentioned earlier that it survives up to today and was never destroyed by fire or earthquake. Truly amazing!
It was a wet morning for us and thank God for the fashionable, transparent umbrella we bought a few days ago. None of those tiny droplets hindered our shutter-pressing routines. I’d say we still had a favorable timing because as we were roaming around the compound, the rain did not pour. The skies even allowed us to stroll and close the route loop for a little more than an hour before deciding to cry.
On our way to the castle, we pulled out a couple of Himeji Tourist Guide and Map from a brochure stand but I did not really read it. It was normally for my souvenir. And now as I was writing this, I opened it to get more information about the place and I was really glad to know that we did the recommended direction for the route without knowing it and we exited at the right exit. All the while I was thinking we did the reverse because that day, our legs just made us walk from the right side of the castle. Whew.
As usual, we did not opt to get into the structure (actually to save some money ?). We were satisfied with inspecting the exterior and the landscapes around it, which I have come to assume that the formula for castles is this: that the castle should be situated on top of a high stone-pedestal at the center of a park protected and fenced by thick and high stone walls with a surrounding moat on the outside.
At that point where we saw a man feeding the birds, the drizzle had stopped for a while, which was just enough for us to watch the action. What a blessing to be one with nature once in a while.
See the real action here:
As we reached the main road and already outside the compound, the rain started to pour. That was why I said that the weather was somehow in favor of us while we were marching around the castle. We hurriedly crossed the road and decided to have lunch nearby while waiting for the downpour to stop or at least go back to its drizzle-mode. And yes, it was the perfect time for soup!
Across the road were some restaurants and we don’t normally get into the first restaurant we see. We check the menu and prices first until we feel the place is okay. So while we were checking. we went into a shop selling snacks, delicacies, souvenirs, and allows food-tasting opportunities. Aha, food-tasting. I think I must have tried all the nuts and dried fruits out there but it was good appetizer. Then we saw that on the other half of the shop is the restaurant with standard meal sets. So we spent our time there until it was time to go and endure an hour travel to the next destination, Kobe!
You can also check some of my tips and notes here.
