Himeji Castle

 

Monday 3 July 

Day 14

With a busy day ahead, we were awake with the morning sun and leisurely getting ourselves organised. I don’t know what time the sun rises here at the moment, but the curtains at all of the hotels have failed to keep it at bay and I am usually semi awake by 6am. However, I hold off on being active until a more respectable time, ie 730am. 

We were out of the hotel by 850am and made our way to the the JR lines of Osaka station. We were able to enter the underground virtually right outside the hotel entrance, but with a long staircase, we would need to find another option for Friday’s return to Tokyo. We made our way completely underground, passing plenty of shops. We made note of the flooring texture, a cobbled effect, to help guide us back in the afternoon. 

We entered the station, with google maps telling us we needed to be at Shin-Osaka. We worked out the platform then on to an emptying train, only to be told we needed to be on the next platform. Here we waited with the crowds only a short time and then we boarded the train, getting off one stop later and moving onto the platform we required for the rapid train to Himeji. I had a laugh when I realised the train we would get on was stopping at Osaka Station. Damn google! We settled in for the hour trip, happy to have a seat and an interesting view. 

Once at Himeji, we left the station, grabbed a quick seven eleven snack on the way and began walking the Main Street towards the castle, which was easily spotted at the end of the 1.5km road. There were plenty of others doing the same trek, but it didn’t appear to be as manic as yesterday’s Osaka Castle. 

We reached the moat, crossed over the bridge and took in the “white heron castle”. The castle is covered in a layer of white plaster and is stark against the skyline. The Main keep is a 45m tall wooden structure that looks out over the sprawling grounds. We took in the view, before making our way to the ticket counter and entering the castle grounds. The Castle is impressive from every angle. 

We followed the red arrow around the complex and then into the castle itself. Here we had to bag our shoes and carry them with us, while we walked on the wooden floor in our socks. We followed the one way path through the castle and up a number of skinny, steep stairs, that at times provided limited head room, well not for me, but for Paul. There was signage to explain the things we were passing and the windows offered amazing views over the city. 

We finally reached the very top and it was time to descend through different stairwells, before finally reaching the ground floor once again and replacing our shoes. We continued following the red arrows out side, to take in the castle yet again. We had a brief rest stop in the shade and downed the water, as it was hot and humid once again. 

From here we followed the blue path up onto the West Bailey Long Gallery, shoes off again and a few stairs, we then wandered the long hallway that partially rings the castle. One of the many lines of defence, that was never needed, as the castle was never under siege. With the wall complete, we entered the grounds again and made for the exit. Happy with the tour and glad for the less intense crowds.

Once back at the station, we caught a train back to Kobe. It was a 40min trip, as we hadn’t boarded a rapid train. We were able to see a lot between the two stops, including the island of Awaji, which is connected by a large bridge crossing over the water. We continued to follow the waters edge for much of the trip, before finally reaching Kobe. 

After leaving the station, we needed to head towards the waterfront. We followed the Google directions, through a couple of shopping malls, before finally seeing boats and wandering in the general direction of the maritime museum, which houses the Kawasaki Good Times World. After doing a lap, we realised the place was shut and after reading the info board, could see it doesn’t open on Monday! We decided we would return later in the week and instead, walked along the waterfront before winding our way back to the train station and returning to Osaka Station. 

Our next task was to return to the hotel, via the underground system and hopefully find an elevator to the road. Taking note of the flooring this morning proved to be a smart idea, as we were able to find our way to where we entered and even locate an elevator. Success! Now we would be right for Friday. 

We did a pit stop at Lawson Station and then returned to the room for our usual late afternoon rest. After having our lunch snacks and drinks, we decided to take advantage of the washing machines and put on a load of washing on, as things were starting to smell bad. We were able to set and forget. We returned to our room and waited out the washing time, before swapping it for the drier. We watched cheesy Japanese tv to keep us entertained. Paul provided the translations. Unfortunately our hotels in Hiroshima and here don’t offer an English Channel. The best we have been able to do is sport. 

Once our washing was complete, we were able to head out for dinner. We walked across the major corner to where we had had lunch yesterday, as the area seemed full of places to eat. We were waylaid however, by beating drums. Inside the small temple, Tsuyuten Jinga (Ohatsu Tenjin),  children were learning how to beat a drum together. The area was also full of interesting objects, chimes and lights. We took it all in, before returning to our task, dinner.

There were plenty of places open, we just needed to make a decision. I was again off task, as there were sparkling lights and interesting hallways that kept screaming, photograph me. We eventually chose a shrimp store and ordered a few small dishes to share. They were lovely. Paul had noticed we were next door to a craft beer bar, so our last stop was there for a beer and then it was back to the room for dessert and then bed.