Thursday, 23 April 2009

Himeji castle

We woke up early and got the train from Osaka to Himeji to visit the castle before heading to Hiroshima.

Himeji is an excellent example of the prototypical Japanese castle, containing many of the defensive and architectural features most associated with Japanese castles. The tall stone foundations, whitewashed walls, and organization of the buildings within the complex are standard elements of any Japanese castle, and the site also features many other examples of typical castle design, including gun emplacements and stone-dropping holes.

The castle really looks like something out of Disney World and was definitely worth the visit, even in the pouring rain!

After the castle tour we had a mad dash to catch our train for Hiroshima, we must have looked like total nutters rounding about trying to find the station. People don't run in Japan so we certainly got a few looks.











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