Travelogue Japam Day 7-Himeji Castle

Wow!  Its been 7 days.  Where has the time gone?  This morning is a quick hop over to Himeji to visit the namesake castle.  It was recently renovated and open to the public last year.  In some areas, work was still prpgrssing but not completely done.  Nagoya castle was being fixed up when I visited.  The gleaming white keep is easily visible from the train station.  its also an easy walk up the boulevard.  Across the moat and up the winding path to the main keep.  From there you climb a number of steep stairs to the top.  imagine if you were an attacking force and you got into the building?  Its hard fighting up hill.  The rooms inside are pretty bare and few things are on display.  The big payoff once you reach the top.

Along one of the fortifications, you can walk along the inside.  There are rooms inside and a few of them contain displays.

Where the main drag meets the castle grounds, souvenir shops/restaurants serve the tourists.  I opted for a quick bowl of oden before lunch.  The walk back to the station was made easier by using the covered walkway of the shotengai.  It was a nice sunny day and I worried about getting burned.  I got lunch at this fast food place near th north entrance of Himeji eki.  This meal consisted of a cheese in hamburg meal.  They were promoting this and it was probably what i smelled.  I was surprised by how soft the rice was