#himeji castle
The Girls in the White Castle.
Well, not quite. Himeji Castle is still undergoing some serious restoration work. The main tower is still covered in scaffolding, and will be until late March next year, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t an enjoyable place to visit.
Our day in Himeji was amazing. We had a fantastic tour guide for a great 1 and a half hour long English speaking tour. We got to see inside some of he buildings, hear some of the history of the place and learn a little about the work that is being done on the main tower.
We also visited the neighbouring Kokoen Gardens next door. They’re very beautiful, Japanese gardens that are wonderful and peaceful, no matter the time of year. Entry to both the castle and the gardens can be combined in one ticket, making it convenient for day trippers.
One word of warning, though. Don’t go to the Himeji City Zoo. It has to be one of the most utterly depressing places I have ever had the misfortune to visit. It’s quite old, run down and features some rather sad looking animals in some pretty small cages and enclosures. I sincerely hope someone gives them a massive funding injection to completely revamp the zoo.
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Some pics of the Himeji castle. I went there last Friday with my friends, it was super nice. Most castles in Japan are now museums, but Himeji is one of the rare remaining ones that still have their original layout. The only problem is that there is no furniture inside. But still nice. It’s so BIG I totally didn’t expect that (since I had been a bit disappointed by the size of the Tsuruga-jô back in Aizu…).
I also ate the tastiest candied fruits in my life. I found apples, but the booth also had strawberries, grapes, pinapple and mandarines covered in caramel. My friends and I looked like we had reached the Awakening tbh. Oh and then I spent the night at my friends’ dorm to play Smash on my Switch until 6AM haha
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