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On March 31 we took the train down to Himeji and walked up the hill to the castle. This photo was taken just after we passed through the gate into the grounds. The castle may look familiar to you because it has been used in several movies including the TV mini-series "Shogun". |
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The sign says "World Heritage (Site), Himeji Castle". Several people mentioned to me, when Himeji Castle came up, that the site is a World Cultural Heritage Site. The Japanese seem to be very proud of their World Heritage sites. Can you name any U.S. World Heritage sites? See UNESCO or National Park Service The boy was climbing around in front of the sign (he's covering the word for "castle"). His mother was very apologetic about his being in my photo, but I was so intent on framing the photo I had hardly noticed him. |
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We had already walked 1/2 a mile from the station up to the entrance to the castle grounds, and the hill began to get steeper, so we stopped for a rest before continuing up to the castle. "Photo op!" |
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There were cherry blossoms everywhere, so I tried framing the castle in them. |
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I was fascinated by the tile roofs and by the ornaments. |
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Roof ornament detail. (Carp?) |
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This shot was taken from inside the castle. In the upper-left of the photo you can see the main street of the town. The railroad station is visible crossing over the street. |
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We took photos of each other in front of the castle. Here is Christeen... |
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...and here's me. |
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There is a huge underground shopping center in the corridors below the railroad station. We ate lunch in there, and Christeen bought some fancy manju to take back to Kobe with us. They were made in seasonal shapes and colors; real works of art! Even came with a certificate. And tasty! |