JAPAN DIARY: HIMEJI

Leaving Osaka was, as you can all envision, pretty sad. We woke up fairly early and immediately started to pack our bags for our departure. We checked out the hotel, went to the starbucks for breakfast and then hopped onto a train to our next adventure! Our first destination of the day was Himeji, a Japanese city in the Kansai region that is known for it’s very much celebrated castle! Upon arrival, we stepped out into the large station in which we left our luggage at a locker room. Once we had locked up our bags and paid for a couple hours of storage, we exited the station and climbed into a tiny taxi with the destination of Himeji Castle! Once we got there, we were met with a really long windy path that lead up to the white castle with prototypical Japanese architecture. Considering it was boiling hot due to the burning sun, this walk was as you can all imagine, not the best experience. When we finally got into the castle, we were asked to take our shoes off and carry them in a bag…. After this, we turned a corner to see what felt like HUNDREDS of flights of stairs… Thankfully the temperature was much cooler inside, but nevertheless, we had a lot of walking to do!! Once at the top of the castle, we were able to see a spectacular panoramic view of the city! We took photos, admired the landscape and then went back down the many, many stairs once again! Overall, the castle was gigantic, the architecture was splendid and the paintings on the walls were beautiful, meaning that I simply couldn’t stop taking pictures!