Himeji: Castle and Garden

Himeji Castle

My last visit to Kyoto, I had wanted to visit Himeji Castle, one of the oldest surviving castles in Japan and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  But it was closed for renovation and major repairs, so it was not an option then.  But the castle has since been reopened to visitors and so naturally became one of the "must do" items for this visit.  

The town of Himeji is about an hour's journey from Osaka (train from Osaka station). We realised after looking at the fares that this was indeed one of those few occasions when it was worthwhile to purchase the one-day JR pass.  But it's only valid for JR, so other journeys still have to be paid for.  Since we were staying in the Dotonburi area, we had to find our way to Osaka station - easier said than done, given the numerous private railways, and the subway lines which intersect with the JR lines.  Maybe if we didn't want to "maximise" the use of our one day pass it would have been easier.... a lesson for another time...

Anyway, after adding another hour to our travel journey (to get to Osaka station), the train ride to Himeji was uneventful. Once there, it was clear that we didn't need a map to figure out how to get to the castle - it dominates the town, and the road from the railway station leads you right to the base of the castle grounds.

Himeji castle is a majestic, yet extraordinarily graceful building.  It's apparently supposed to resemble a white heron - and I suppose the wings of the building, beside the towering main keep, the white of the walls and the tiers of the roofs do support the idea of a bird in flight.   Yet, this beautiful and elegant building was very much a functional castle - built to be defended on top of a hill, with small windows piercing its sturdy walls to allow defenders to shoot cannon and arrows down on potential invaders.  A comprehensive description of Himeji Castle's history is here.  More about Japanese castles is here.

The castle is organised in several sections, with an outermost moat just in front of the castle wall.

The sturdy walls of the castle

 Once past the main gate, you enter the large open grounds right in front of the castle - a great photo opp - and walk all the way to the next section, just beyond the ticketing counters.  Here, things start to get more serious.  Internal walkways are much narrower and wind around the hill.  The sturdy walls enclose the last section, containing another courtyard and the castle well.  We went next into the keep, and climbed all the way up to the top where we admired the glorious 360 view of the castle grounds, and the Himeji region around that.  I could almost imagine myself a castle guard looking out for the enemy hundreds of years ago!

I have to say that whilst there were notices and placards here and there giving more information on the building (and also a little pamphlet) there could perhaps be more done to excite visitors about the Japan of that era.  There were not that many exhibits in the first place, and the ones which really caught my eye were the model of Himeji and the surrounding country side and the scale model done to aid an earlier restoration.  There was also a Himeji Castle app but it wasn't available in the Singapore app store and having to figure out how to switch to the Japanese store, then find the app, etc etc was just too much bother.  Which was a pity, because it was a real opportunity to learn more about Medieval Japan.

We followed our visit to Himeji with a a visit to the Koko-en Garden, just next to it.  Once part of the castle, the garden is now a separate attraction in itself.  Actually it is not one garden but nine  - each with their own name such as the Garden of Bamboo, the Garden of Flowers, etc.

Garden of the Lord's House, with Himeji Castle 

One of the most impressive gardens was the Garden of the Lord's House.  You enter via a long wooden corridor, over a pond.  On your left is a little cascade, trickling down from the rocks.  But on the right - a waterfall greets you, with its waters pouring into a large pond, with a quiet garden beyond that.  The leaves were gorgeous, glowing red. Himeji Castle rises in the background.  Indeed, a fitting sight for the lord of the manor!

My other favourite was the Garden of Summer Trees.  Indeed, it should be called the Garden of Autumn Foliage instead.  It is a smaller, more intimate garden than that of the Lord's House, meant for private pleasure rather than public show.  I could see myself sitting in the small shelter, reading a book and enjoying the brightly coloured leaves.

Garden of Summer Trees

We left Koko-en as the sun was setting, which meant also that we could watch as the skies around Himeji Castle darkened around the illuminated castle.

Where Kyoto is a city of temples, Himeji indeed stands out as a reminder of Medieval Japan.

Himeji at dusk

More photos on my Flickr album.