Himeji Castle Revisited (姫路城)
On September 16th, I went to Himeji again. This time to meet Noemy, who is in Himeji this year under the same exchange program I went two years ago. While discussing what to do, she said she had never been to Himeji Castle... Really, people never go to places close to where they live, huh?
Since the plan was going to Himeji Castle, I also invited some friends in Kyoto. Lucia, Megumi, Fabio and Carol joined the small trip. In Himeji Noemy also called a friend of hers... a Korean exchange student whose name I forgot (sorry...)
And since the conversation turned to Himeji Castle, I realized that even though living in Himeji for almost one year I've never wrote about the castle. Well, it's not a matter of backlog this time. When I first went there, I didn't even had dreams of writing this blog. So I'll put some other stories together with the one I mentioned above.
Himeji Castle is also known as "Hakuro-jo" or "Shirasagi-jo" (White Heron Castle). It's one of the most beautiful castles in Japan, and one of the few that is still mostly intact. It was also one of the first World Heritage Sites in Japan. Its military architecture softened by its beautiful aesthetic lines make it, for many, the definitive samurai castle.
In short, if you want to see a Japanese castle, Himeji Castle is strongly recommended.
For those who may be wondering about the picture with sakura (cherry blossoms) since it's not spring, that picture was taken two years ago when I first went to Himeji Castle. Reminiscing a little bit (being back into the castle made me remember those things), it was during my first week in Japan. As sakura were all over the place and it was my first time seeing it, I just had to take pictures. Silvia had the idea to go to the castle and took us there (although none of us still knew how to determine the bus fare correctly...). The problem was that I was the only one with a camera... and I had the ability to forget it! So I went all the way back home to get it (always an airhead, huh?)... The beginning of many "adventures" and one of the many things I have to thank her for.
Back to the present, although the weather forecast was indicating rain, the weather was good (as the other picture shows), so we had a good time exploring the castle's surroundings. When we were about to enter the castle the weather was already changing... and the weather forecast was confirmed a little later. Fortunately we were already inside the castle at that time. And the rain stopped a little when we went out, so we could explore a little more before the rain started again. But then we were already on our way to lunch...
For lunch, some Chinese food at Kohouseki. The Chinese restaurant where Jon and I used to go... (Heh, still miss you around.) As it usually happens when Brazilians gather, we chatted there for a long time... More precisely, until we noticed that they were setting tables for dinner! Haha!
Some people wanted dessert. As my usual place (also a place where Jon and I used to go) wasn't there anymore I had no recommendations left... We found some place with good parfaits after walking around a bit. And - guess what? - stayed there talking until the place was about to close.
After a good day with lots of talk (hah!), back to Kyoto...
Ah, and sorry to my other friends in Himeji... Can't meet everyone. I'll still return to meet you!
Before going, Kazu had mentioned there were some English guided tours to the castle. I have never entered the castle with a guide, and it could have been interesting. It's not always available, though. Maybe next time... Besides, that probably wouldn't have worked with a large group...
Since the plan was going to Himeji Castle, I also invited some friends in Kyoto. Lucia, Megumi, Fabio and Carol joined the small trip. In Himeji Noemy also called a friend of hers... a Korean exchange student whose name I forgot (sorry...)
And since the conversation turned to Himeji Castle, I realized that even though living in Himeji for almost one year I've never wrote about the castle. Well, it's not a matter of backlog this time. When I first went there, I didn't even had dreams of writing this blog. So I'll put some other stories together with the one I mentioned above.
Himeji Castle is also known as "Hakuro-jo" or "Shirasagi-jo" (White Heron Castle). It's one of the most beautiful castles in Japan, and one of the few that is still mostly intact. It was also one of the first World Heritage Sites in Japan. Its military architecture softened by its beautiful aesthetic lines make it, for many, the definitive samurai castle.
In short, if you want to see a Japanese castle, Himeji Castle is strongly recommended.
For those who may be wondering about the picture with sakura (cherry blossoms) since it's not spring, that picture was taken two years ago when I first went to Himeji Castle. Reminiscing a little bit (being back into the castle made me remember those things), it was during my first week in Japan. As sakura were all over the place and it was my first time seeing it, I just had to take pictures. Silvia had the idea to go to the castle and took us there (although none of us still knew how to determine the bus fare correctly...). The problem was that I was the only one with a camera... and I had the ability to forget it! So I went all the way back home to get it (always an airhead, huh?)... The beginning of many "adventures" and one of the many things I have to thank her for.
Back to the present, although the weather forecast was indicating rain, the weather was good (as the other picture shows), so we had a good time exploring the castle's surroundings. When we were about to enter the castle the weather was already changing... and the weather forecast was confirmed a little later. Fortunately we were already inside the castle at that time. And the rain stopped a little when we went out, so we could explore a little more before the rain started again. But then we were already on our way to lunch...
For lunch, some Chinese food at Kohouseki. The Chinese restaurant where Jon and I used to go... (Heh, still miss you around.) As it usually happens when Brazilians gather, we chatted there for a long time... More precisely, until we noticed that they were setting tables for dinner! Haha!
Some people wanted dessert. As my usual place (also a place where Jon and I used to go) wasn't there anymore I had no recommendations left... We found some place with good parfaits after walking around a bit. And - guess what? - stayed there talking until the place was about to close.
After a good day with lots of talk (hah!), back to Kyoto...
Ah, and sorry to my other friends in Himeji... Can't meet everyone. I'll still return to meet you!
Before going, Kazu had mentioned there were some English guided tours to the castle. I have never entered the castle with a guide, and it could have been interesting. It's not always available, though. Maybe next time... Besides, that probably wouldn't have worked with a large group...
3 comments:
o loco?? ainda ela não tinha ido pro Himeji -jo? não tem mais aquele passe gratuito pros estudantes de Hyogo???
que saudade do Kohoseki... OUtro dia, eu e o Jon estávamos falando disso... Onde vcs comiam sobremesa?? sacanagem, nunca me levaram lá
Tem o passe ainda sim... mas quem disse q isso garante que as pessoas vao visitar?
O lugar de sobremesa ele achou mais pro final; e a gente nao ia com tanta frequencia. Mais ou menos onde a gente largava as bicicletas perto do Starbucks tinha uma loja q vendia coisas tipo bolos e sorvetes.
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