1/26/06: Himeji

Himeji. Just a short train ride from Kyoto and stupendous. You step out of train station and walk down the big street ahead of you. And as you walk farther and farther, you see and realize just how big this famous castle (known as White Heron Castle for its white walls) you've come to visit really is [photo right: crossing the street]. You approach the gate entrance and emerge into an enormous park. Still a ways to go before you reach the castle. Once at the castle, you pick up a map and go off to explore. You follow the walled path and come across a series of gates. Each has a huge opening and a small, short door. The door is too short for you, and you realize that back then people were tiny. You look around the gate and notice that there's not an expansive and gorgeous path leading up to each gate. Instead, you've turned a corner; this prevented enemies from ramming the gate. You admire the beautiful roof tiles and decorations. The roof is black and white, and the ending tiles change pattern [photo right]. Your English brochure tells you that the tile patterns display the family crest of whomever made or repaired it.You continue to walk and gawk, taking note of the small square and triangle windows for shooting arrows, until you get to the mini-park out front overlooking the city. Walking across the yellow grass, you go look at the view before turning and snapping a photo of the giagantic castle behind you [photo left: notice the tiny people on the bottom]. There's a grumpy groundskeeper watching you. You find the entrance to the castle and enter. As with every shrine and temple, you are required to take off your shoes [photo left] and signs ask you to please refrain from smoking and scribbling. You climb stairs. Seven to nine (you've lost count) flights of steep, wooden stairs with beams across the top that are barely high enough for you to climb under without getting owned in the face. Each floor has some kind of neat historical information, such as the fact that Himeji the city is within the original outer walls. At the top, you take in the view of the city [photo left x2] and see the Osakabe Shinto Shrine said to be haunted by the great Musashi Miyamoto (master of two-sword fighting). Once you have seen the rest of the grounds, you wander around eating doughnuts from Mr. Donut (delicious Old-Fashioned Honey), lost as you try to find the Himeji Castle Nishi-Oyasiki-ato Garden. Apparently, the map is much less accurate than you had hoped. You find your way there and step into a beautiful Japanese garden [photo left and right]. There are mini-waterfalls, beautiful ponds filled with monster carp, and a tearoom. Unfortunately, it is still winter, so nothing is blooming, but it is still gorgeous [photo right: bamboo area]. This is what people are talking about when they speak of a Japanese garden. Complete beauty and tranquility. You go home to the Utano Youth Hostel where you engage in a sake tasting. Your job is to taste each of three sakes, describe their taste, and then chose which was made in Kyoto. The first comes in a tiny box with a sippy straw, tastes like water with a drop of cleaning supplies, and goes down the smoothest. The second tastes like gas and burns your lips. The third is sweet and between the first and second in terms of strength. All of these sakes are quite mild according to the Japanese fellow. You learn that the third is made in Kyoto. Hurray.








Fun/Strange Picture of the Day: Frog Garbage can. Left for combustibles, right for non-combustibles











Picture of the Day: Me pointing at monster carp in Himeji Garden pond.