Luckily the sun came out in the morning, which made it an easy decision to visit Himeji today! There are multiple ways to get to Himeji via train - you can take the local trains which stop many times along the way, or you can take the Shinkansen which cuts the travel time in half. If you have the JR pass, you get access to all the Shinkansen trains between Osaka and Himeji - so all that's needed is finding the right track to catch the train.
I also found out that it's pretty difficult to make a last-minute reservation using the ticket kiosks (be prepared to enter your passport number, and there's no indication of how many reserved seats are available until after you enter all your information), so I ran for the non-reserved seats. If you pay attention to the announcements when the train is arriving at the station, they will tell you which cars are for non-reserved seats. To figure out where the cars will be along the platform, you can check the floor for stickers - they should specify the train route and the car number.
Approximately 30 minutes later, I was in Himeji, and it was pretty quiet at the train station until I got closer to Himeji castle. Even on a Sunday, I guess tourists and locals both enjoy visiting a national treasure - especially after extensive renovations that have restored the gleaming white castle walls. I was crossing my fingers that there would also be a plethora of cherry blossoms, but I guess the recent rain and winds took them away. There were only a few forlorn blossoms left on the many cherry trees adorning the castle grounds.
I wasn't sure what to expect from the top castle to visit in Japan - all my previous experiences for castles were in Europe. Walking through all the gates and paths up to the main castle keep made me appreciate the planning for defenses - there were so many spots where the path narrowed to a dangerous alleyway designed to corner intruders, and lots of carefully placed holes in the walls for archers and gunmen. When we finally made it all the way up the hill to the iconic keep, it was an impressive wooden structure standing 7 floors tall. Each floor had its own purpose, and my general impression after walking through all the floors was that this building must have stored precious items (e.g. weapons, gold) because there were no signs of bathrooms, kitchens, or residential areas.
Later, I found out that the residential structures were in other buildings (some no longer in existence). In addition to the main keep, the entrance fee does allow you to walk through the western residential structures along the castle wall, but my feet were quite tired already and I wanted to save some energy to explore the adjacent gardens. Note that the castle entrance fee does not include access to the Koko-en garden, but you can choose the combination ticket which does grant you entry to both.
The Japanese garden Koko-en, similar to the castle, is very well maintained, and is composed of 9 different gardens, including the garden of the Lord's residence (which was my favourite). Amongst the gardens are a tea ceremony house and a restaurant, which are open to the public. Wandering through each of the gardens brought me a sense of peace and tranquillity - similar to other Japanese gardens I've visited previously. Almost every angle brings a picturesque view, and the structures placed within the gardens (e.g. gazebos, stone decorations, stepping stones, bridges) all add to the atmosphere. When I reached the restaurant, it was already full, so I was hoping for a miracle at the tea ceremony house. Surprisingly, they had 2 spots left for the last ceremony of the day! I happily jumped at the opportunity and used the time until the ceremony to visit the remaining gardens. I mentioned I liked the Lord's garden best - this is because it had an amazing layout, with a large koi pond, weaving its way underneath a bridge and around stepping stones, amidst gorgeous greenery and the backdrop of Himeji castle.
During the tea ceremony, I was happy to see ladies dressed in kimonos, and impressed at the serving ware that was used. They had something that contained live charcoal fire beneath a vessel that held boiling water for the tea, along with a set of matching containers - enameled with turquoise paint, and gold detail. Everyone was served a piece of delicate, spring-themed red bean dessert, along with a bowl of ceremonial matcha. One of the guides who was accompanying another tourist explained how to drink the tea - turning the cup 3 times, and ensuring not to drink from the side showing the kanji as a sign of respect for the host. I tried my best to follow along, and hopefully do things correctly even though I didn't understand what the host was saying!
The train journey back to Osaka was quiet, and allowed me to fully digest all the Himeji brochures I had picked up during the day. I'm glad I did the day trip - there was plenty to see, and I loved learning about the history. All the walking also enabled me to burn off some of the calories we've been consuming!
I'm super excited for tomorrow - Universal Studios!
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