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Published: March 27th 2009
Himeji Castle
View from the first gateDay 12-14 (March 11-13)
From Hiroshima it was on to Kyoto via Shinkansen of course (just love them). On the way making a stop at the famous Himiji Castle. We were met there by an English speaking guide who was able to share the secrets of the castle. The castle was designed as a fortress to protect the Shogun in time of attack. There were many gates to pass through to even get to the castle proper and the paths were designed to lead you in the wrong direction. What looked welcoming and going up often led you to dead ends, traps or places that you could be shot at from above or have scalding water or stones dropped on you.
The castle itself was quite sparse as it was not designed for living in so much as to protect. From the outside it looked as though there were only 5 floors but in fact there were false eaves and it was 7 stories. It is the largest and most clever of the castles as it was built early 1700’s and benefited from centuries of learning, however it was never needed as it was completed on the eve of
Gateway
To get through this gate you have to walk under it. It is rigged so that samuri can collapse the overhead beams and rocks to bury unwanted guests. Japans peaceful era.
Our guide was great, an older lady who was a volunteer because she just loved castles and their tricks. We saw a special gate only used by the Ninja who might come in with information they had gleaned from pretending to be an old farmer. Inside, were some armour worn by samuri (who must have been very short).
Also, inside but so precious we couldn’t photograph was a lacquered box made from a captured samuri, who used the two sheets of toilet paper he was given each day to tear and twist into thin strips that he wove together to make the box. I can’t remember how many years he did this but when he was finally released it was lacquered and retained as a treasure.
From the castle it was back on the train to Kyoto station which was a sight in itself. A large building that had a web of steel like lace over a huge atrium, with a great view of the city from the top and a network of connecting sky walkways.
Kyoto seems to also have a connection to the characters of Astro boy and Simba and some
Himeji Castle
Note the slits that enable samuri to pour hot oil or drop rocks on intruders below other animated classics as there were statues in pride of place and a exhibition to view. Another nice ryokan to stay in, more in the city style but very comfortable and welcoming. I'm really getting to enjoy sleeping on the floor.
Next day we visited the golden temple (Kinkakuji) impressive for both the temple and it's garden. The temple is designed to represent what heaven is like.
We also visited the Nijo castle which was much less of a fortress than Himiji. It seemed to be more a place that royal business was conducted than a protection, however it did have some clever features including a “nightingale floor”. The floor was constructed in such a way as to squeak like birds to warn the shogun of anyone approaching (achieved by two metal plates linking each floorboard that flexed and made the sound when walked on).
There was also a display of how the daily business looked like with various officials seated in order of importance and the ever ready soldiers hiding in cupboards ready to spring out if any trouble arose (great job!).
The evening was for Meiko and Geiko watching however, I did not enjoy
this so much as it felt like we were paperazzi stalking our prey. I didn’t take any photos but did see many Meiko and as our guide put it “a real Geiko” identified by the more subtle and sophisticated outfits.
Sushitrain for dinner which was a lot of fun choosing your dishes as they went past. Followed by an evening cultural performance that had 7 aspects of Japanese culture on display - tea making, flower arranging, music, puppetry, opera, comedic play and dance. A lot of fun and only 50 minutes.
The following day I made a trip by local train to a small town (Arashiyama) outside Kyoto. I caught a limited express train that went right past my stop!However I just got off and caught the next local train back. No problems, and it meant that I was able to see more beautiful rivers (I do like taking the scenic route).
I also managed to make a wrong turn in the town and so got to explore little streets with local homes. Getting a little bit lost is all part of the fun of travelling (but always with a map handy and the business card of
the hotel in case you really get lost). I eventually found where I was aiming for and walked through a bamboo forest and then on to the riverside. Really picturesque and peaceful place to spend a few hours.
We had a another delicious final dinner before we all began to get our minds around our separate journeys. Most of our group were staying on for extra days, but I made my way back to Tokyo on my last Shinkansen. I had a low key afternoon after getting a bit lost in the Shinduku station and shopping complex but finally I found the right exit and made my way to the hotel and back into a normal bed (which actually felt foreign now).
A great view from the top floor out at the city. This part of the city has taller buildings and were a nice backdrop out of my window. My tour leader had booked me an express train to the airport and I had noted the place to catch it from in yesterdays unintended but thorough exploration of the station. I arrived too early of course, but luckily as high wind had caused an accident which meant
my train and the following ones had been cancelled, with no information on when they were to recommence. I felt like a local as I knew I could navigate the subway to the other side of the city where the other airport (non JR pass) train left from. I caught the local airport train instead of the express so that I didn’t have to get more Yen out, and reached Narita airport in plenty of time for my Cathay flight to Hong Kong.
I was felt really quite sad to be leaving Japan and wondered if I will be equally sad in each place I go. I definitely want to return to Japan someday, I'm really surprised at how much I liked being there.
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