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The Mikoshi are portable shrines are carried by 30 to 50 naked men around the area until they reach the shrine gate then salt is thrown to purify them before having the very top of them removed so they can enter the shrine area through the gate.

This is another example of how my trip was influenced by a travbuddy blog! I saw it and wanted to visit the castle, I didn't even know they had castles in Japan before... Since Himeji is on the way from Hiroshima to Kyoto, we had mapped it out and to make a stop in Himeji for the day before continuing to Kyoto, instead of going to Kyoto first, then make a day trip back to Himeji.In Japan, it seemed all the train stations have lockers of various sizes so it was convenient to put our luggege in...

Last school year I was looking through a Japanese/English dictionary that my students were using and I saw a picture of an amazing castle. I asked Nagaosa Sensei where the castle was and she said it was in Himeji which was by Kyoto. Of course once Andrea and I started planning this trip I (in my spoiled brat way) said that we were going to Himeji to see the castle and she had no say in the matter. Luckily Andrea can deal with me in that mood and said “fine”.

Dinner!!! Kobe beef in Kobe - I was so looking forward to this. The restaurant name is in japanese but i took a picture (looks like a christmas sign) - i had had kobe before in the U.S. but it is so different here. The authentic kobe (or wagyu) beef is so marbled, tender and flavorful ... mmm... some of the other travelers felt it was too rich and intense - I was more than happy to eat their share ... they also served the beef with fried garlic chips - quite a good complement in texture ...

himeji castle, it is magnificent structure.

Here are some pictures of my trip to Japan from 15 August - 21 August 2007.

Himeji is one of my favorite towns to visit in Japan because it has one of the best castles in Japan. Himeji-jo (jo means castle) is a stunning example of Japanese architecture. Visitors are allowed to walk through the castle but it is important to remember that the stairs are narrow and steep. I couldn't make it all the way up to the castle look out (I have a problem with heights) but my Aunt went up and she said there was a decent view of the city.   Himeji-jo is beautiful no matter ...

For the last day of my trip, my intention was to visit Himeji and hopefully stop at Kobe on the way back to Osaka.  I decided after failing on the 20th in Shanghai, I first wanted to stop by the US Consulate to get my second set of additional passport pages.  The consulate was a short distance from my hotel, and I was being frisked and emptying everything out of my bag (should have just left the entire bag!) by 9:30.  Dropped off my passport and application and around 10:15 I g...

Today was the last day on my Do! fitness membership, so I had a good final workout. Then, a rush back to the room to get ready for today's day trip: Kobe. Kobe is famous for the exorbitantly expensive beef it produces. The beef is apparently quite tender -- partially attributed to the breed, but mostly due to the cows' daily massages and steady diet of beer and sake! We should all be so lucky. Kobe is also the sight of a horrific earthquake that devastated the city in 1995 and plunged Japan i...

This is a trip that I made in the sprint of 2007 with 3 of my friends. We spent some time in Kyoto, Hiroshima, Tokyo & Osaka. It is one of the most memorable trip that I made so far.

I'm going to introduce a weird country called Japan.

4th times visiting Japan.. Got so relaxing and culture experience this time.. I was almost dying with extremely busy work by holding a festival in the end of 2007. Fortunately, I did feel refresh and get better after staying Japan for 2 week, doing nothing, eating assorted tasteful food and traveling most of facinating cities not only in Kansi area, namely, Osaka, Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Kobe and Hemiji, but also Mie, Toba and Ise.. Koyashan is no doubt still my favourit!!

A great trip from Hong Kong and through Japan.

i am visited kobe befor 2 years ago, this time, i go to kobe again with difrern friends. the experience is totally diffrence.

What a beautiful country with amazing people. This is a definite must see. the travel is affordable, transportation top notch, culture is beautiful, and the food is fantastic..bring an extra stomach!!! I would return in a heartbeat!