I had Thursday off from school (Constitution Day apparently) so I went to Himeji Castle. Himeji Castle is widely considered the best in Japan and it is one of few to be more or less in its original form. Other castles have been rebuilt since WWII and are mostly made of concrete, instead of the wood and stone of the originals. Himeji was designed to confuse invaders, with multiple false entrances and hidden passages to sneak in behind the enemy. It also has really high walls, with correspondingly steep hills. I'm not sure of this, but it appeared to be the tallest building in town even today.
Here's me in front of the castle, to prove I was actually there.
Closer picture.
Most Japanese castles have some kind of fish at the top like a gargoyle. Sometimes it's a dolphin. It's supposed to keep out bad spirits. This is from the 6th or 7th floor, after several steep stairs with low ceilings.
Sam-cheese. It's wonderful to see that you've been updating this blog. Reading about your adventures has been a nice break from the doldrums of weekend work. By the way, you could totally pass for a shogun in picture #2. Kind regards.
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