As I have slowly recovered from jet lag, I have gone back to having way too many things on my to-do list. However, I don’t want to fall behind in my posts about Japan, so today I present you a brief description of Himeji Castle. Himeji Castle is interesting because, not only is it a really cool castle, it is also the oldest surviving castle in Japan.

Panoramic view of the Himeji Castle

A moat!

Wait, it’s the cat’s turn!

Each round tile has the design of the castle owner at the time of construction or reconstruction. The butterfly crest was my favourite.

While the outlining structures were used as living quarters, the main building was intended to hold the army. On the second to last floor it even had hiding holes for the soldiers to attack the unsuspecting enemy. I don’t really understand that since, if the enemy has gotten through the entire castle, two guys hiding on the last floor are quite unlikely to turn the tide, no? Though, with the element of surprise, it just might work.

View from the castle.

The field in front of the castle was full of people, there was even an Onda dancing competition in an adjoining grove.