2002.06.06 Himeji Castle, Himeji City, Hyogo.
By Day 6 of the Keihanshin free trip, the itinerary finally stopped scattering us across several places in one day. This time, the whole day had only one main target: Himeji Castle.
That sounds relaxed, right? But first-time travel in Japan has a way of turning "it does not look far on the map" into a thirty-minute walk. A castle that looks beautiful in photos also makes you cross a huge open plaza, climb a slope, and wind through layer after layer of defensive routes before you really understand it. This day stayed with me not just as a famous-castle visit, but as a slow lesson in how distance, heat, and castle design can wear you down ~.~'"
From Osaka to Himeji: the map looked close, but my legs disagreed
In the morning, we took the JR Tokaido Line Special Rapid service from JR Osaka Station, bound for Banshu-Ako. It took about an hour to reach Himeji Station.
In 2002, a one-way ticket was JPY1,450, so buying a JR Kansai one-day pass at the airport for JPY2,000 covered the round trip nicely ^.^
The map made Himeji Castle look not too far from the station. There were bicycle rentals near the station, but for some reason, we still decided to walk slowly toward the castle.
That was clearly the wrong decision.. it took about half an hour ~.~'" Still, because we walked, we saw a little more of Himeji's streets.
I had heard that some descendants connected to Himeji Castle still lived in the city. When I saw the decorations at this home's entrance, I could not help making up a story: maybe this was the house of some noble descendant ~.~
Koko-en first: a quiet lunch beside the castle
Since it was still early, we went first to Koko-en, the garden beside the castle, for lunch. In the rhythm of the day, Koko-en felt like a pause before entering the castle: outside was already the June sun, but inside were white walls, wooden corridors, trees, and water.
The Japanese garden atmosphere was exactly the kind of place that slows down a first trip to Japan. Instead of rushing straight into Himeji Castle, it reminded me that since the day only had one major stop, maybe we did not need to keep running the way we had on earlier days.
Sitting indoors for lunch and looking out at the garden was very pleasant ^.^ These pauses are not always the most spectacular photos, but they are easy to remember later: this was the last cool, quiet stretch before entering the castle.
Crossing the moat: Himeji Castle starts by making you walk
After lunch, we walked back, crossed the moat, and prepared to enter Himeji Castle. Himeji Castle is a surviving castle from Japan's Edo-period feudal era. Because it has been so well preserved, it is often called one of Japan's finest castles and was among Japan's early World Heritage castle sites.
The first thing we saw inside was a huge open plaza. This photo later became the hero image, but on site, it was more than a pretty distant view. It meant we still had to cross a wide, exposed space before getting anywhere near the inner castle.
Just crossing that open plaza took more than ten minutes before we reached the foot of the inner castle. From a tourist's point of view, it was simply far. From an attacker's point of view, I imagine the sun and the distance would have started defeating you before you even touched the wall.
At the foot of the castle, we still had to turn into this little slope before entering @.@'"
By the time enemy soldiers fought from the outer walls to here, they would already be out of breath. And that was before dealing with hidden arrow slits and rooms where shadow warriors could hide ~.~ We were just following the visitor route, but the more we walked, the more I felt that Himeji Castle was memorable not only because of how the keep looked, but because of the way its space pulled you in, turned you around, and slowly used you up.
No wonder Himeji Castle has long carried the reputation of never having been captured in more than four hundred years, and no wonder it is praised as one of Japan's great castles.
The top keep and one last look back
Following the route, we eventually reached the top level of the main keep. After being led through walls, slopes, and turns, the view finally opened up. That was the first moment it really felt like: okay, we made it.
Looking down over Himeji City, the distance we had walked from the station turned back into a city spread out below us.
After coming down, we took one last look back ^.^ It felt like a final confirmation: yes, we really did finish Himeji Castle today.
Back to Osaka: Showa streets and a two-megapixel night view
After leaving Himeji Castle, we returned to Osaka in the evening and had dinner in the underground area of Umeda City. Takimi-koji recreates a Showa-era street scene, so after a day of castles and gardens, walking into it felt like being dropped straight back into Osaka's underground world.
Finally, we went up to the Floating Garden Observatory for the Osaka night view. The photo was taken with a two-megapixel digital camera, so looking at it now is a little painful ^^'" But at the time, just bringing back a night view of Osaka felt satisfying enough.
This seven-day, six-night Keihanshin trip was the first time CH and Chris visited Japan. We were a little too greedy with the itinerary. By the end, we had quietly deleted quite a few stops, mostly shopping and food places in Osaka: the electronics streets around Nipponbashi and Kuromon Market, Dotonbori food like Kamukura ramen, Fufutei yakiniku, Meoto Zenzai... 残念だ T.T
Still, this first Japan trip left us with a very good impression: convenient transportation and kind people.
After we left Universal Studios Japan that time, we did not know where to catch the ferry to Tempozan, so we went into a convenience store to ask. The clerk said something to a coworker, then walked us all the way to the pier ^.^
After Lisa and Belle were born later, Japan became the most suitable country for our family trips ^.^
Related Posts
Keihanshin Free Trip - Day 1 Kyoto: Nishiki Market, Kiyomizu-dera, Kinkaku-ji
Keihanshin Free Trip - Day 2 Kyoto: Arashiyama Area, Tenryu-ji
Keihanshin Free Trip - Day 3 Nara: Deer Park, Todai-ji, Nigatsu-do, Kasuga Taisha
Keihanshin Free Trip - Day 4 Osaka: Universal Studios Japan
Keihanshin Free Trip - Day 5 Kobe: Nunobiki Herb Garden, Kitano Ijinkan
Keihanshin Free Trip - Day 6 Himeji: Koko-en, Himeji Castle
Full Photo Gallery
Previewing up to 8 album photos. Open the gallery to browse all photos.
Originally published: 2010-08-22 Revised: 2026-07-18 View the original Blogger post
