Himeji Castle

Himeji Castle is only an hour from Kyoto by train. It is a must-see landmark, the most impressive of the remaining feudal castles in Japan, and it did not disappoint. The five-story castle was built by the son-in-law of Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1609. The original castle had three moats but only the inner two remain: the outer moat was located a kilometer away where the JR train station is today. All the buildings are made of wood, their walls covered in white stucco to prevent fire. Our tour guide told us that the builders used wood instead of rock (like in European castles) because of Japan's humidity: wood breathes better than rock during hot summers. The outer protective walls are built with stone. In some places in the walls, coffins were used instead of cut blocks because of a shortage of stone.

Himeji Castle from the second moat. The castle from the main bailey.

The castle did not have much in the way of English explanations, but luckily we were able to find an volunteer tour guide who spoke English. He was an employee of Micron, an electronic firm based in Boise, Idaho, so he had been to the U.S. and knew quite a bit about America. He told us a lot about Japanese history in general and the history of the castle and showed us things we would not have noticed by ourselves: arrow slits; stone-throwing holes; rock piles that could be collapsed to block gates during a siege; and the deceptive layout of the castle paths, designed to disorient invaders.

We spent about three hours in the castle, on the grounds and in the main castle building. To preserve the wood floors, all visitors must remove their shoes and walk barefoot or with borrowed sandals. We climbed the steep staircases all the way to the top (seven floors, including the basements). There is a small shrine on the last floor, and the view of the castle grounds and the town of Himeji is fantastic.

Himeji Town from the top of the castle. View of the grounds out to the second moat.