26 November 2016
After breakfast at the bakery at the ground floor of the Sannomiya Terminal Hotel, we took the JR Special Rapid Service bound for Himeji from the Sannomiya Station. In less than an hour, we were walking out of the JR Himeji Station.
Himeji Castle is about one kilometer down the broad Otemae-dori Street from Himeji Station. Exiting the station's north exit, we walked in the direction of the castle along the road that is lined with rows of ginkgo trees in their beautiful yellow autumn foliage. It was a beautiful day with clear blue sky. This also meant that this autumn morning was colder than the previous few days.
View of the Himeiji Castle, a kilometer down the broad Otemae-dori Street from Himeji Station.
Row of ginkgo trees in their beautiful yellow autumn foliage, on the road to Himeji Castle.
Himeji Castle is also known as White Heron Castle (Shirasagijo) since the white-plastered walls of the main keep resembles a white heron in flight. This is in contrast to the Matsumoto castle I had previously visited in Japan. That castle was called the “Crow Castle” due to its black on white exterior. Click here to see my post on my visit to Matsumoto Castle.
Matsumoto Castle or Crow Castle due to its black on white exterior.
The Himeji Castle complex is over 400 years old and was completed in 1609. Unlike many other Japanese castles, it was never destroyed by war, earthquake or fire and survives to this day as one of Japan’s twelve original castles. It was under restoration for a few years and finally reopened in 2015.
Otemae-dori Street led us to the square in front of the main Otemon Gate of Himeji Castle. Like most feudal castles round the world including Japan, there is a water-filled protective moat surrounding the castle complex. We took some time to walk along the moat towards the Koko-en Garden that is next to the castle. My original plan was to visit this garden after our visit to Himeji Castle. We decided that we would save some time and money and not go into the Koko-en Garden after a sneak peek though its gates.
Visitors can take a paid boat ride on the moat surrounding the Himeji Castle complex.
Moat surrounding the castle complex, with the Otemon Gate in the background.
Otemon Gate at Himeiji Castle, as viewed from inside the castle complex.
We entered the castle via the Otemon Gate into the third bailey (Sannomaru). Here, we could get a nice view of the Himeji Castle complex, without paying a single yen.
View of the Himeji Castle from the third bailey, Sannomaru.
The castle complex comprises over eighty buildings spread across multiple baileys, which are connected by a series of gates and winding paths.
Hishi-no-mon Gate.
A ticket booth could be found at the far end of the bailey, where the Hishi Gate marked the entrance to the paid area. 1000 yen per person was a small price to pay to enter the castle, compared to invaders of old who probably need to make the ultimate sacrifice when trying to enter. The castle was built to protect the lords and keep out invaders and the design was quite good for warfare during those era.
Another perspective of the beautiful Himeji Castle or White Heron Castle as seen from the Sangoku-bori moat after the Hishi-no-mon Gate.
Path leading to the castles with openings in the wall on the right.
The zig-zag approach from the Hishi Gate to the main keep was uphill all the way, going from broad to narrow as it approached the main keep, with the purpose to slow down and expose attacking forces. Winding paths connected the different areas of the castle. There are 997 openings called Sama in the walls of the keep, towers and walls from which arrows and guns could be fired from. These holes came in shapes of circles, triangles and squares for guns, oblongs for bows and arrows.
Wooden door of one of the many gates in Himeji Castle.
There were multiple gates and baileys and those doorways were low!
The samurais and warriors in those days were short!
An interesting view of the multi-layered roof of the Himeji Castle’s main keep.
Nice garden at the West Bailey.
We had to remove our shoes and carry them in provided plastic bags before entering the main keep. The main keep appeared to be 5 storey from the outside but was actually a six storey wooden structure plus a basement. We entered the main keep through an entrance in the lower floor of the building and climbed upwards via a series of steep, narrow staircases.
The floor area of each level got progressively smaller as we ascended.
Model showing the wooden structural beams.
The topmost floor houses a small shrine. We could look out the windows in all directions, down over the castle roofs, at the maze-like defence below and also Himeji city.
View of the road leading from the Himeji Station to Himeji Castle with rows of ginkgo trees on both sides.
View of Himeji City from the top floor of Himeji Castle.
Close view of the fish-shaped roof ornaments that are believed to protect the castle from fire.
Beautiful roof and edge tiles with the family crests.
View of Himeji Castle from the 1st Bailey (Hon-maru).
After exiting the keep, we spent some time taking selfies and enjoying the morning sun at the Hon-maru Bailey (1st Bailey) before making our way back to the Hishi Gate.
The walk back to the Himeji Station was gorgeous and comfortably warm in bright sunshine. We had the option to walk through Miyuki-dori Street, a covered shopping street that runs parallel to Otemae-dori, but chose to walk outdoor to enjoy the views of the yellow ginkgo trees and bronze statues created by the leading sculptors of Japan.
Otemae-dori Street in autumn.
Statue of a girl along the Otemae-dori Street.
After visiting Himeji Castle, we took the train back to Sannomiya Station and then the subway to Shin-Kobe Station. Why Shin-Kobe Station? The answer: Kobe beef!