Himeji Castle

On Monday I had the day off, so I went to Himeji to do some shopping. While I was there, I finally went to Himeji Castle. I've been to Himeji many times, and you really can't avoid seeing the castle when you're in the city (it's a straight shot from the station down the main street to the castle), but I hadn't actually gone to visit it yet. 

The castle is really impressive. It's one of (if not the) biggest and best preserved castles in Japan. Sadly it is going to be tented next year for renovations, so I really wanted to make sure I saw it before that happened. The castle is huge, it just towers over the city. It's in a big compound, and up a hill (so as to be defensible). It was a perfect fall day and I had a nice time wandering around the compound, strolling up the hill and walking around the castle grounds. I was too lazy to climb all the way to the top of the castle, but it is possible to go all the way up inside.  

Himeji Castle