Ryoushin no Ryokou Part 4: The White Heron

I realize it's been painfully long since my parents' visit in November and my last writings of the account. Rest assured though that I will make it into the 3rd, and hopefully the 4th day this week as I'm in a really good mood and Thursday is a national holiday - i.e. no school. My house has been thoroughly cleaned, and my laundry caught up. Hopefully things will continue going at a good pace, now that I'm on top of things. I've also started using google calendar and a task list to help me keep on top time management in hopes that I'll be able to better adhere to my New Years resolution of getting my act together and staying on top of things.

So far, not too bad, I've finished yet another book from my Japanese History library, and I've upped my Japanese language study in preparation for a proficiency test in July. I've also started looking at graduate schools a little more. (I'll have to start applying in August, yikes!) A quick update on other recent events, last weekend Martin and I ventured to Matsue for an Australia Day party, hosted by the local Aussie JETs. It was a blast, especially the food. Who knew 'roo meat was so tasty? Next weekend is the annual AJET Charity Ball, and, while I had contemplated going down for that and a game of poker with some friends, I decided instead to stay in the islands and save my time off for more important things, like my upcoming driving test(s), and a hopeful trip to Hong Kong or Okinawa. That's about all that's been going on since my return from Hiroshima in January. The weather's been awfully dreary - cold and gray with spurts of snow - almost every day, but this week is supposed to bring out the sun and warm up into the high 40s. Anyways, back to November.

So without further adieu: Ryoushin no Ryokou Part 4

Dad, myself and Mom at the entrance to Himeji-jo.

Our first day of sightseeing a success, I decided that we'd hop yet another train on day two; this time venturing out to what many consider to be the finest example of a medieval Japanese castle still in existence, the fabled keep of Himeji.

We started the day with a pretty hearty breakfast at the hotel. Unlike the previous day, I wasn't in much of a hurry this morning as we were really only going to one sight for the whole day. The weather was bright and sunny as we walked down to the train station. It took us a few minutes to get the ticket situation figured out, but we eventually boarded a bullet train for the hour ride to the town of Himeji, in neighboring Hyogo Prefecture. The city itself was big but quiet and made for a pleasant fifteen minute walk in the late Sunday Morning. The top of the castle came into view after only 10 minutes or so, and the massive park surrounding it soon followed.

First Stop: Himeji-jo

It was a beautiful autumn day, and the park was full of Japanese maples, famed for their small, but beautiful red leaves of fall. As you can see to the right, the koyo (red leaves) were in fine form this day. After walking uphill and meandering through maple trees, we began our tour of the outer castle.

The castle, sometimes called shirasagi, or "white heron," because of its majestic and expansive white-plastered walls, is a real site to behold. Dad would probably like me to point out that several scenes from the James Bond movie "You Only Live Twice," were filmed here. A fortification of some sort has sat at this location since Akamatsu Norimura first built a small fort in 1333. The first castle was built in the 16th century under the rule of the Kuroda family. The current castle was built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1580, and expanded some 30 years later by Ikeda Terumasa, who was awarded the castle by the Tokugawa shogun for his role in defeating the last remnants of the Toyotomi forces. In addition to the 5 story main keep, the castle also has 3 smaller ones, connected by over 1000 meters of long, fortified walls and hallways. The castle was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992

We began our tour in the west bailey, home to the "Vanity Tower," where Princess Sen, eldest daughter of the second Tokugawa Shogun, resided in the 17th century. The princess and other women of the castle were kept under lock and guard every night. Inside the fortified walls, we were able to catch mannequined glimpses of castle life in various rooms. From here, we walked toward the back of the castle, circling our way through the second bailey and the waist quarter, past the suicide quarter, and up toward the main keep. The second bailey held even more maple trees, while the waist quarter takes its name for being the waist, or tightest and weakest point of the castle. The suicide quarter may have been intended as a place for ritual suicide when it was built, but it was probably used only for its water supply.


We entered the main keep through the basement. As we ascended, we walked through an absolutely wonderful museum of various artifacts from bygone samurai days, as is the norm for Japanese castle interiors. This one was well stocked on each floor with assorted weapons, including some impressive spears, guns, and swords, which were ready at a moments notice, in case the castle was ever attacked. It also sported various pieces of artwork associated with various feudal lords, as well as several large models depicting the castle and outlying areas over the centuries. All in all, I was more impressed with the museum in Matsue's tiny keep, but it was still fun to view. The real treat was at the top of the castle. We almost didn't go, as all the hiking from the previous day and walking around barefoot inside the castle had done a real number on Ma's feet. But she held in there and we climbed up the steep narrow steps to the top of the castle which was shoulder-to-shoulder standing room only. Aside from the dozens of people, the top of the keep also had a small shrine. The Osakabe Shrine had originally stood at the site of the main tower, but was moved during construction. After the castle's completion, an onset of nature's fury convinced the locals to relocate the shrine to its original location, and they set inside the main keep. Supposedly, it's haunted by the spirit of a murdered samurai, Miyamoto Musashi.

The real treat though, which made the endless climbing and crowd maneuvering all the more worth it, was the spectacular view of the colorful park and surrounding city:










Second Stop: Koko-en Gardens

After circling around the top of the keep, we made our way down the stairs and back through the courtyard on to the park. There were still a few hours of daylight left though, so I suggested walking over to the nearby Koko-en park. The area consists of 9 beautiful Meiji-era gardens, which made for a wonderful afternoon stroll. There was also a tea house, but it had closed by time we reached it. You can see all my photos of Himeji at my facebook album - here.

As dusk approached and we headed back to the train station, our stomachs started to rumble. Luckily, my birthday being the next day, I had planned for an eventful evening at a wonderful restaurant.

Final Stop: Kobe

Kobe Harbor at night. On the left is the Kobe Port Tower, and to the right is the Maritime Museum.

I had visited Kobe in the past with a friend of mine from Kansai Gaidai, and I'd read about it in my travel guides. It's long been a center of western culture and ex-pats, but I feel it's somewhat lacking in traditional Japanese culture. That said, it might possibly be the most beautiful city in all Japan, and the harbor at night, as you can see above, makes a spectacular view. I took my parents to a harbor-side shopping center reminiscent of Broadway at the Beach, but much nicer. It took me a while to peruse the Japanese floor plans, but eventually we found a wonderful Brazilian restaurant, where we enjoyed my birthday dinner. If you've never been to a Brazilian-style restaurant before, it's an amazing experience. You take your plate to the salad and side bar and then come back to your table. While you eat, various waiters walk around the room with huge skewers of assorted meat. I don't think they had any of Kobe's famed beef, but that was ok, since Oki's beef is better anyway. These guys walked around and, unless you set up a red peg at the end of your table, they'd just slice off meat onto your plate until you said stop. My favorite was what the waiter jokingly referred to as "Dinosaur." These restaurants can be found stateside, I highly suggest looking one up sometime.