VISIT TO THE CASTLE OF HIMEJI: THE MOST BEAUTIFUL IN JAPAN

If on your trip to Japan you don't want to miss a visit to Himeji Castle, you are in the right place: we will tell you about our day enjoying what many claim to be the most beautiful castle in the country.

The white heron shone again under Himeji's sun ... No. I haven't taken a liter of umeshu and I'm delirious: I'm talking about Himeji Castle: the white heron of Japan! This is his nickname and it is not difficult to intuit the motive: white, slender and elegant, Himeji's is possibly the most beautiful castle in all of Japan. It was built in 1333 by Akamatsu Norimura, although it was with Toyotomi Hideyoshi when, two centuries later, the castle was renovated and expanded.

Toyotomi ordered the construction of a large main tower with 3 floors and surrounding the castle with a multitude of stone walls. The reason is simple: the main function of a castle was defense and, the harder it was to take, the more relaxed its owner could be. To get to the last room, the room of the great warlord, you have to go through endless winding alleys, dark passages, porches, narrow stairs ... of course it is much easier today thanks to the indications!

In 1600 the great Tokugawa Ieyasu he seized the castle and handed it to his son-in-law, Ikeda Terumasa, which decided to reform and expand it once again by giving it this elegant and imposing air that it retains today.

Himeji Castle was never taken by force or destroyed, although history did not make it easy: after the abolition of the feudal system (1871) the castle was put to auction and acquired for 23 yen of the time by a city man. The intention was to demolish it to use the lands although because of fault (or rather thanks!) Of the cost of its destruction, the new owner thought better and decided to save it.

During the WWII Himeji was hit hard by air strikes. By pure chance the castle managed to survive once again (up to 3 times it was bombed but not damaged).

The castle also survived the terrible Kobe earthquake (1995) while his city suffered a lot of damage. It seems that the white heron is really immortal.

In 1993 it has been declared Unesco heritage and, apart from being one of the most beautiful and best preserved corners of Japan, it is also a perfect place to enjoy the hanami: we could only see the first cherry blossoms but a few weeks later the show must have been incredible.

Upon arrival, the castle silhouette It will leave you speechless. When you see the ticket price you will be even more speechless: 1000 ¥ ?? We were, what backpacking rats we are, deliberating for a while until we decided to enter. The reasons we did it were:
- When else are we going back?
- It is the best Japanese castle (or at least the best preserved).
- We've come here to see it.
- Vero will give us sticks if we don't enter.

The truth? The interior has disappointed us. I do not know, it is not that we expected a ninja hidden among the wooden columns, nor an armed samurai ready to protect us and teach us morality, no ... but it seemed very empty! Put a shogun dummy there to welcome us, a furry pet to do a dance, a few tapestries ... something ... is that there was nothing, just windows, tatamis, wood and stairs!

We had read in a blog that there were recreations that allowed us to intuit what life was like in the castle during its best years, but that goes, not even the dummy's wig had 😛

"Buuuuuuu" I already notice the disappointment of Japan's lovers. Sorry, we didn't like the interior but ... but ... but outside is wonderful! Similarly, looking for positive things, we found 4:
- The ass, ladder after ladder, will become firmer and you will no longer feel guilty of the gyudon you have eaten.
- The views over the city of Himeji are cool.
- The whole complex is quite curradete.
- The ass, escal ... ah I said it no?

Near the castle there are some Japanese gardens (Kokoen Gardens) that deserve the visit. We even saw a heron, it's really 🙂

To get to Himeji we encourage and tempt luck trying hitch-hiking! How was the first Japanese hitchhiking experience? Well ... It started VERY well: 7 minutes after being stationed at a gas station, thumb up and under the umbrellas, a girl stood up and took us to Sannomiya, the largest city near Kobe. We didn't do many km but we were super happy: 'jolin, that's great! 7 minutes nothing more blablabla ... '

We arrived at Sannomiya and we got back under the rain, again thumb up and again super excited. 7 minutes pass 'well, let's see, we're not going to be so lucky either!' 14 minutes pass' no na passes', no na passes'. 30 minutes pass 'well then, nothing happens.' It passes 1 hour, passes 1.15h, passes 1.30h ... A lady approaches, gives us handkerchiefs and tells us with signs and a smile that the best thing is that we go to the JR station and Let's catch the train. Hahaha. You are right. Second attempt at hitchhiking = fail total!

We arrive in Himeji, we visit the castle and the gardens and we return to the road. We decided to put ourselves, sign in hand, just outside a parking lot. People pass by, smile at us, apologize for not taking us. 7 minutes pass. 14 minutes 21 minutes '5 min more and we go to the station…. ” until ... we are approached by two 18-year-old girls who don't speak English and tell us that, if we want, we can go with them and that, if we want, we can give them about 500 yen for gasoline (about € 3.8 ).

We look 'to see, those who hitchhike do not pay "anymore but if we have to go back by train it will cost us 1000 each one, in this way 250!

The experience was very cool, chattering 'japingles' with the girls, trying to talk about Japan and Spain, listening to Japanese pop-rock music and laughing a lot. We arrived at Kobe half an hour later because the driver kept getting lost: -S

We have survived the first experience of 'traveling by finger' through Japan ... yes, we are a few hitchhikers of sloths!