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Ask anyone who lives in Japan and they
will tell you that
Himeji is far and away the best castle in Japan.
It's a must-see for any castle-lover visiting Japan!
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To get there, my friends and
I took the fabled Shinkansen! The distance to Himeji from
Wakayama is not exceedingly far, but we saved an entire hour
taking the bullet train.
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Some people refer to Himeji castle
as the "white heron castle" because they believe that it resembles
a heron in its tall, white elegance. It was originally constructed
in the 14th century by the powerful clan Norimura Akamatsu.
Later the castle was enlarged and altered by successive lords.
The entire castle itself is a National Treasure.
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A view of the defenses of Himeji
castle, taken from the high
floor of the main Donjon
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The castle grounds consist of a five-story
donjon, three smaller donjons, fully defensible walls with
towers, a moat, defense turrets, numerous gates and gardens
and encompasses an area of 220,000 square meters!
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Can
you see me? I'm the speck
wearing the black sweater at
the base of the main donjon!
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This is the first castle I'd been
to in Japan where you couldn't explore the whole thing in
an hour or less! I just had to get a closer look at the main
donjon, or keep, of the castle.
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Touching the donjon wall,
I am taken back to stand
with the samurai three hundred years ago.
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