Himeji - A Soaring Castle and .... Shopping Paradise?

*rough draft - unedited*

Our train out of Kyoto that morning was at the unfriendly hour of 7 AM, which meant an even earlier rise from bed to pack and prep for the trip.  With as modern, crowded, and technical Japan can seem at times, it strikes me as odd that their train stations in the early morning hours are deserted.  Zach and I had been attempting to get the earliest possible trains to our next destinations since we had been warned how packed and difficult it could be, especially during a holiday season like we were in.  Yet each time we arrived at the station we were almost the only soles wandering the sterile, pristine facilities.  We bought some breakfast from the only open store in the station, and camped out near a pillar in the lobby, quietly eating sandwiches and sipping royal milk tea (LOVE IT) while waiting for our train to pull into the station and the rest of Kyoto to come to life.

  Our train arrived on time with no issues at all, and we headed off toward the southwest for Himeji, passing through my mother's during her adult years: Osaka.  I wanted to spend at least a day in Osaka, but it didn't work itself into our schedule after much debate.  This, in addition to my mother's hometown of Kochi (on the forgotten 4th main island of Japan, Shikoku), will be on the itinerary for my next trip to Japan (fingers crossed).

It turns out our initial desire to catch the earliest possible train was a little misguided, as we arrived in Himeji after only an hour and the main attraction we'd come to see, Himeji Castle, didn't open until 9 AM.  This gave us an hour to wander around the city, which was fairly rewarding in and of itself.

  The main strip leading from the train station to the castle reminded me of any other urbanized American city.  Fast food locations on the base of mid-rise buidlings topped with floor after floor of office space.  Old men nodded politely to us as they zoomed past on bicycles, and children gawked at Zach's height as we ambled toward the castle.  The castle grounds contain a lovely garden that leads up to the wall fortifications, so to pass the time we walked through these gardens and took in the views of the city below.  It was an interesting contrast; standing on the walls of a fortified Japanese castle from the 1600s while gazing out on the modern urban sprawl of concrete, traffic lights, and black top roadways.  

The castle announced it's opening with the beating of some drums (fun!), so we headed back down the garden path and entered the castle.  Arriving at the opening time produced another downside, which was that every tour group in a 3 prefecture area seemed to have gathered here this AM, which made it a bit crowded for a bit.  The castle reminded me of a russian doll, with layer upon layer upon layer needing to be wandered through before finally reaching the castle proper.  The walk was entertaining though, allowing you to gaze out below you through bow & arrow/gun slots carved into the wall, and to get mildly creeped out in the suicide corridors near the corner of the complex.  That castle soars above you as you approach it, forcing you to throw back your head and take in the intricate lines of the tiled roofs and the gentle curve of the white walls.

  Once you enter the castle, you get the distinct feeling the the Japanese of yore might have been slightly smaller then the ones of today, as most people seemed to have to duck through doorways and stairways.  At this point Zach must have been in pain, as he struggle to make it under and through the majority of the building.  The journey up to the top level of the structure is punctuated on each level with artifacts from the history of the lords who rules from it's location, displaying poetry written by daiymo and armor from the castle's guards.  While the average Western tourist strains and struggles to get to the summit, it's well rewarded by the breathtaking views you can garner there.  The city of Himeji stretches out beneath you in all directions, toward the sea to the south and craddles lovingly by some mountains to the north.  

After the castle we still had a few hours to burn before grabbing our train to Hiroshima, so we walked a few hundred feet to the west of the castle and took a walk through the Koko-en Gardens.  This location features approximately 16 different styles of Japanese gardens and invites the visitor to wander through on their own and take in the variety of flora the island of Japan have to offer.  Being the absolute lover of nature that he is, Zach could hardly contain his wonderment as we made our way through the gardens, snapping pictures left and right.  My personal favorites were the bamboo garden and the tea garden, while I think Zach enjoyed the pine tree garden most. 

We grabbed an early lunch on the walk back toward the train station, enjoying some udon noodles, gyoza and takoyaki (octopus balls!).

  With still a bit of time to waste, we made our way into the govered shopping areas around the train station.  The pressure of shopping in Japan is very low key, with attendants simply greeting you when enter the store and smiling for the rest of the time until you request assistance.  Unlike some other areas of Asia where vendors can be very aggresive in terms of trying to leverage you into buying something, the Japanese tend to stand back and let the buyer make the decision on their own.  The day pack I had been carrying around with me since we had left Chicago hadn't been as comfortable and effective as I had hoped it would be, so we stopped into a baggage store and took our time viewing the product, with no pressure and no hassle from the staff.   I decided to buy a cute white messanger bag, my own personal souvenior from Japan. 

Right around this time is when we realized we were cutting it a little close and headed back to the train station to catch our ride to the enigmatic city of Hiroshima.