On schedule for today was an official meeting with the local provincial warlord and his wife… or at least a visit to what was once their castle. Himeji Castle was our destination today and is currently the largest castle still standing in Japan that has not undergone massive modern renovations since its construction. It was built in 1346. It is located in Himeji in the Hyogo Prefecture and is composed of 83 wooden buildings. 
Unfortunately, upon exiting the train station in Himeji, we were greeted by rain clouds. My gr
oup scurried to the nearest Yen store to get ponchos, and proceeded to finally get a glimpse of one of Japan’s finest castles. Even from the train station, one could see Himeji castle beaming in the distance. Whenever one see’s an ancient Japanese castle on a postcard, on TV, or in a James Bond movie, it is probably Himeji. Himeji played a big part in the lives of the citizens of not only Himeji but the entire surrounding territories. When one wanted protection, one looked to Himeji. When one needed to resolve a dispute, one looked to Himeji. When one wanted to see Japanese civilization preserving itself throughout the centuries, one looked to Himeji. Himeji was built with the ever-present threat of attack in mind, but it was never attacked.
Upon entering the castle grounds, one is greeted by the massive outer walls and a moat. After walking through a typical Japanese garden, one encounters the main gate of the castle. It was at this point that the “warlord” and his “wife” met my group. After paying our respects, my group headed up through the intricate maze of passages leading up to the castle entran
ce. The outer road leading to the castle is in a spiral shape, which was designed to keep approaching enemies preoccupied while tower archers shot them all down. For us, the greatest danger wasn’t archers, but slipping on the path. We only had one casualty-some girl’s flip flop broke. Upon reaching the castle, we were required to honor the house rules and wear slippers.
Upon walking up to the 2nd or 3rd floor, we entered the war room, where the warlord kept his swords, armor, and later on in history, muskets. By the time one reaches the 5th floor, one is convinced that ancient Japanese people were shorter than 4’ 6”. There was no possible way to get up and down the steep, STEEP stairs witho
ut hitting your head on the wooden ceiling beams. While most of us college students were complaining, there were Japanese grandmothers walking leaps and bounds faster than us up and down the stairs in an attempt to see the top of Himeji and perhaps observe one of the main attractions at the top-the shrine.
The top gave us a magnificent view of the city. It was here that I could put myself in the place of the warlord and envision a massive city sprawled out below me. The shrine at the top was pretty; there was a bottle of sake in the middle of it; apparently that is the shrine deity’s favorite. Upon discussing the logistics of transportation in and out of the castle with Dr. Londo, we headed back down the castle and exited the castle courtyard.
Upon returning to Kyoto, a group of us headed out for dinner. We found some Italian place (lame, I know), but I mixed it up by getting salmon spaghetti. When someone sitting next to us was given a birthday dessert by the restaurant, my group naturally started singing the “Happy Birthday” song, only to realize all too late that it was not the restaurant’s intention to sing any song, especially one in English. We made the birthday table really happy nonetheless.
Unfortunately, upon exiting the train station in Himeji, we were greeted by rain clouds. My gr
oup scurried to the nearest Yen store to get ponchos, and proceeded to finally get a glimpse of one of Japan’s finest castles. Even from the train station, one could see Himeji castle beaming in the distance. Whenever one see’s an ancient Japanese castle on a postcard, on TV, or in a James Bond movie, it is probably Himeji. Himeji played a big part in the lives of the citizens of not only Himeji but the entire surrounding territories. When one wanted protection, one looked to Himeji. When one needed to resolve a dispute, one looked to Himeji. When one wanted to see Japanese civilization preserving itself throughout the centuries, one looked to Himeji. Himeji was built with the ever-present threat of attack in mind, but it was never attacked.Upon entering the castle grounds, one is greeted by the massive outer walls and a moat. After walking through a typical Japanese garden, one encounters the main gate of the castle. It was at this point that the “warlord” and his “wife” met my group. After paying our respects, my group headed up through the intricate maze of passages leading up to the castle entran
ce. The outer road leading to the castle is in a spiral shape, which was designed to keep approaching enemies preoccupied while tower archers shot them all down. For us, the greatest danger wasn’t archers, but slipping on the path. We only had one casualty-some girl’s flip flop broke. Upon reaching the castle, we were required to honor the house rules and wear slippers.Upon walking up to the 2nd or 3rd floor, we entered the war room, where the warlord kept his swords, armor, and later on in history, muskets. By the time one reaches the 5th floor, one is convinced that ancient Japanese people were shorter than 4’ 6”. There was no possible way to get up and down the steep, STEEP stairs witho
ut hitting your head on the wooden ceiling beams. While most of us college students were complaining, there were Japanese grandmothers walking leaps and bounds faster than us up and down the stairs in an attempt to see the top of Himeji and perhaps observe one of the main attractions at the top-the shrine.The top gave us a magnificent view of the city. It was here that I could put myself in the place of the warlord and envision a massive city sprawled out below me. The shrine at the top was pretty; there was a bottle of sake in the middle of it; apparently that is the shrine deity’s favorite. Upon discussing the logistics of transportation in and out of the castle with Dr. Londo, we headed back down the castle and exited the castle courtyard.
Upon returning to Kyoto, a group of us headed out for dinner. We found some Italian place (lame, I know), but I mixed it up by getting salmon spaghetti. When someone sitting next to us was given a birthday dessert by the restaurant, my group naturally started singing the “Happy Birthday” song, only to realize all too late that it was not the restaurant’s intention to sing any song, especially one in English. We made the birthday table really happy nonetheless.
Hey, is that the wife or the warlord daughter? If it's the daughter did you get her phone number? hehe!
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