Japan - Monday, September 14, 2015 - Himeji Castle

Now we are on Japan dates and times.  

Monday, September 14th, we had lunch in the hotel restaurant buffet. We would follow this pattern in every hotel for breakfast. I opted to stay with a little fruit and a croissant. Not knowing what we would have to eat and that the plans were for three meals a day. At home I usually have a bagel for breakfast and a Greek yogurt and banana for lunch. Then Claude and I eat one big meal together. It appeared we would be eating much more than that and breakfast was one meal I could control. It turned out to be a great way to start my days in Japan.

Our tour today was to Himeji Castle.  We would ride the Shinkansen to Himeji and tour the Himeji Castle. This is a World Cultural Heritage Site. It all started in 1333 AD. 

There is so much more to the grounds that we toured. However, what we toured wore us right out. 

We would entered the largest gate and climb the hill to the Main Keep. This keep is 6 stories tall. We would climb all the way to the top. It seemed on each floor that the stairs got steeper and the height of each step increased. It could have been that this is hard work and I was getting tired. However, going back down was harder on the knees than going up.

There are so many beautiful angles from which to take pictures. It was so much fun to look at it through the lens of my camera and take pictures I can look at over and over again as my memory loses some of those images. 

I've decided to post pictures of the visit to Himeji Castle by the features that piqued my interest. These are in no particular order.  Except these first two. They are a frame of wood that replicates the frame of Himeji Castle. One of the big differences about the Japanese castles is that they were made of wood. Usually we think of a castle as being stone or marble. But in Japan they were made of wood.

The second was a replica made of Himeji Castle and all the land that would have been included with the castle. So much more than what is today included with the Castle and its grounds. If you find Himeji Castle and look at the wall around it, that is about what is included today. But in its heyday, it would have extended much further.

I loved the use of bamboo fences. Bamboo grew everywhere along the mountain sides. It made perfect sense to use it for fences. Some times it was curved and woven to make the fence. Simply...beautiful.

There are seals on the edges of the tile roof. Each ruler had their own seal and these would be changed with the new ruler. 

The gutter system throughout where we walked was impeccably clean and in great shape. We found this same type of stone gutters in all the historic places we visited.

There are actually 21 gates in Himeji Castle today. I'm posting two of them. The first is Hishi Gate. This gate is unique in that its side is on a stone wall. The second Claude and I named the 'Bonnie Gate'. This is because Claude's mom, Bonnie, could walk through it without bending over. When we were all in Israel and went to the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, you enter through a very low doorway. Bonnie was the only on in our group that didn't have to bend over to get in through that doorway. Hence, at Himeji Castle, this will always be the 'Bonnie Gate' to Claude and me.

There are fish on the peaks of the roof. It was explained to us that, with the fear of fire and the castle burning down, fish were places on these peaks. They symbolically represent the water level coming up to that fish. Therefore, no fire can happen where the fish is located as they are 'under water'.

There were several rooms or large hallways that served as armory rooms. Racks and hooks line the walls to store weapons for war.

I mentioned the stairs earlier. The following are three pictures showing the stairs. The first picture is on one of the lower floors and the last picture is going into the 6th floor of the Main Keep. 

When in Blarney Castle we learned of the 'murder hole' as a means to defend the castle. On the top of the castle was a hole with a clear shot to the ground. From this hole hot oil could be poured on one's enemy to defend the castle. Himeji Castle had something similar but it was called Stone Drops in the brochure we were given. In the first picture you can see them under the flat windows. The second picture was taken from inside and over these windows. If you lift the handle, it removes the board covering the holes from which to drop rocks on one's enemy.

The windows on the eastern and western walls are located high, so platforms are installed to make use of the windows for monitoring and shooting. Stairs are located at the ends of the platform for access to the top of the platform.

On the top floor is a the Osakabe-jinja Shrine. Watching the people worship at these shrines was a very sweet experience. 

Here is our intrepid group on the top floor of Himeji Castle. We made it!! And we're smiling!!

There would be several places we visited where our shoes had to be removed. I carried a pair of footlets to wear as needed in my backpack. Some of our group just went bare foot. Claude's feet just ached. It was one of the worst things he could have done to his feet. They really needed the support of a good shoe. He pressed on... Rooms were always provided with cubbies for you shoes and sometimes slippers to wear.

Outside the Main Keep we found the top of a wall. It gave us a feel for how thick those rock walls really were.

And here is the rock wall. The stone wall's contour is called 'fan curve' for its resemblance of a folding fan. The incline gets steeper as it goes up, making it very hard to climb.

We found a stage for plays and performances outside the Main Keep. What an amazing place to perform. 

As we walked away from the Main Keep and made our way out of the castle area, I noticed this little place. It left me wondering how many hidden passages and places there might have been in Himeji Castle.

Well, that gives a flavor for the experience we had at Himeji Castle.  We would walk back to the train station. This was an opportunity Kelly took to teach us about the covered streets. Such a pleasant way to walk on a hot sunny day. The street is full of shops and restaurants. People walk and ride bikes through them. It is something I think would serve us well here in the States.

Along these streets we found a restaurant for lunch. Okay, not many of us were looking forward to sitting on a floor to eat. Crossing our legs was just not an option for me as well as several others. We found a real Japanese style restaurant and they had room for 10 people. They led us in and to the back, then past the kitchen to another hall with little rooms with tables big enough for 10 people. They were low to the ground. We took our shoes off and climbed into the room and, to our joy, found there was a huge open space under the table. We just had to get down and then our feet had a place to hang like we were sitting in a chair. Hallelujah!! Lunch was good. I am absolutely awful with chopsticks and it didn't improve any during the trip. It was amusing the servers who would notice, take pity on me, and bring my probably one of only 2 or 3 forks in the restaurant.

One last thing learned this first full day. Little children in elementary school all wear hats. They are different colors and the color tells you which grade the child is in.

Back to the Shinkansen and to the New Hankyu Hotel for a welcome night's rest.  Great first full day. We were weary but very happy travelers.