Himeji Castle

After brekky we walked a short distance to a local coffee roaster who has been operating since 1932. So good we had two! [POSTSCRIPT: Worked a treat today - MF-San didn’t fall asleep on bus].

Raining - so very comforting looking out whilst we relax with our coffee.

Time to reflect also on what happened here in WWII. Osaka Prefecture was the target of over 50 bombings by U.S. air forces from December 1944 through August 1945 resulting in some 15,000 casualties.

Today we visit Himeji Castle aka the “White Heron Castle”, for its resemblance to the majestic bird spreading its wings. The castle was built 1565 to 1613 by the feudal lord (daimyo) Terumasa although there was a temporary fort here built by daimyo Norimura in 1333. The castle is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Himeji-jo is the finest surviving example of early 17th-century Japanese castle architecture, comprising 83 buildings with highly developed systems of defence and ingenious protection devices dating from the beginning of the Shogun period.

The castle has appeared in many films including ‘Seven Samurai’, ‘Ran’ and ‘You Only Live Twice’.

Rain and mist enroute. And wet at the castle whilst waiting in long queues! 

I sent Kubo a whatsapp msg to say that we were all still in a queue waiting to go in. The departure time was hastily changed and in fact ultimately changed twice.

Shoes off and into plastic bags which accompany us up the seven floors; easier though than the castle at Matsumoto, thankfully. Great views.

I wanted to also visit what is called the West Bailey: this was a female-only living quarters in peacetime and was home to the famous Princess Sen during the Edo period. She was the eldest daughter of the shōgun Tokugawa Hidetada and married at age six (6!!!); she remarried later but after her 2nd husband and only son died, she became a Buddhist nun.

She is famous for being used as a pawn through her marriages to secure alliances between powerful clans.

I am not sure why ‘famous’; tragic certainly.

We were very fortunate - the rain stopped and we were able to get some (dry) outdoor shots as we left the castle precinct. 

The Koko-en gardens on the way back to the bus are very attractive.

We were very happy with what we managed to see in the allotted (albeit extended) time and made it back to the bus only one minute late (because we had to wait for traffic lights to cross the road to the parking lot). As the time was meant to include lunch I’m not sure how everyone else fared; we were able to enjoy our 7-Eleven sandwiches on the onward journey on the bus: ham and cucumber with a touch of mustard. Yum. 

Rain and mist continue through the mountains as we travel to Hiroshima (pop. about 1.2 million). Major car maker - HQ of Mazda.

We pass the junction to Onomichi which is the start of the Shimanami Kaido that we cycled 18 days ago.

A couple of rest room stops - complete with vases of fresh flowers! Amazing.

I continue to be amazed at some of the working habits here. There was a man cutting grass with big shears at the rest stop - after 5 pm on a Sunday as the light is fading fast. We passed an open hairdressing salon as we come into Hiroshima - Sunday, close to 6 pm. 

After checking in, we set off to check out the retail and food options nearby.  MF-san wanted to look at Camera Bic which has cameras (doh, but we didn’t think the prices were much better than at home), phone stuff, kitchen stuff, toys - you name it; floor after floor.

Then we ‘hit’ the railway station for shopping and food: omiyage (souvenirs), high-end clothing, supermarkets, etc. MF-san bought Suntory whiskey: 180 ml in a lovely bottle, 80% proof for $6+. Crazy!

Omiyage: I got momiji manju, a maple leaf-shaped cake often filled with red bean paste - a local specialty - a single pack for us each.

We managed to nail down the spot at the station where the restaurants were located. Some had queues, some longer than others. We aimed for one with a smaller queue and had a terrific meal. MF-san had fried oysters (oysters being a specialty of Hiroshima) and octopus tempura. I had fried chicken and a bowl of rice. And the BEST G&T in Japan - Suntory gin with tonic (not the usual soda). Had two(!!) 😳 In 7th heaven!

Pretty walk back.

Back to the hotel to have cheesecake (bought yesterday) and to watch the news: a 6.5 earthquake in NE Japan with a tsunami warning (later downgraded). And a super typhoon bearing down on the Philippines; daughter Kathryn says Regis has been on the news there twice today. 

And joy of joys - this hotel has an onsen - busy though! Even at 11:30 p.m. there were plenty of people there. 

Into bed 17 mins after midnight!!

Walked 9.6 kms.