Travel Entry - Himeji Castle & Kyoto

Me & Sophia

A friend of mine from graduate school, Sophia (who is currently working as a speech-language pathologist in Shanghai, China) visited us in Japan last week. We took advantage of a sunny weekend to explore both Himeji Castle and Kyoto. The cherry blossoms (sakura) were slated to be in full bloom that weekend; however, due to a drop in temperature - the date of full bloom was pushed back about a week. The sites were still stunning - and we did manage to find some trees that had bloomed a bit early! 

Kyoto is the ancient imperial capital of Japan - and a MUST-see for those who visit Japan. Kyoto was one of the few cities in Japan that was not bombed - and so a lot of the temples, castles, and shrines are original (with the normal "wear and tear" restorations). Kyoto definitely has the "traditional" feel - unlike many other parts of Japan - and I think it paints the picture of traditional Japanese life. 

~*Himeji Castle*~

The Shinkansen

Himeji Castle is located in Himeji, Japan (about a 45-minute shinkansen (bullet train) ride outside of Kyoto). Himeji Castle is the largest castle in Japan and is also regarded as the finest surviving examples of "protoypical Japanese castle architecture." Himeji Castle was first built as a fort in 1333; and then as a castle in 1346. Over the years the castle has been remodeled, expanded upon, and updated by many imperial members. Interestingly, most of the town of Himeji was bombed at the end of World War II, but the castle was untouched. I read that a firebomb was dropped on the top floor of the castle, but failed to explode.  In 1993, the castle was registered as one of the first UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Japan. 

The gardens

We found one tree in bloom! 

We were able to walk through the castle - and climb the super challenging staircases (the steps are all different widths and heights to make it difficult for intruders) all the way to the top floor. What a view! We were also able to walk through some other buildings and a beautiful garden with a cute restaurant and tea house.

After roaming around the castle - we followed our noses to a street fair that was serving TONS of Japanese treats. The best thing was that almost every booth was offering free samples - so we had our fill of mochi, rice crackers, fried chicken, and even sake! I was browsing the sake booth - not really planning on trying any - when a Japanese man tapped my shoulder as said - "Try it!" in perfect English! Oh, and I almost forgot to mention - I finally found some sakura soft serve - YUM!! 

View from the top of Himeji Castle

~*Fushimi Inari-Taisha*~ (Kyoto)

Fushimi Inari-Taisha is the head shrine of Inari - the god of rice. The shrine sits at the base of a hill and includes a hiking trail up Mount Inari that passes by many smaller shrines. The path is "straddled" by thousands of torii gates, which are bright orange in color. The grounds are also covered by statues of foxes, which were thought to be Inari's messengers. I found it interesting that no two foxes looked the same. As we walked (or climbed - SO many stairs), I noticed that almost all of the gates had writing on them. Kaz was able to figure out that people, companies, etc. buy or sponsor a gate (or several) in the shrine. 

We attempted to time our hike so that we would be able to see the sunset over Kyoto from a lookout spot about 15 minutes from the top of the mountain. We made it up a bit quicker than we expected - so we took some time to enjoy some snacks and the amazing view. The hike down was a tad creepy - as it was rather dark and the crows were "cawing" loudly. Apparently some people like to hike the mountain at night to fully experience the slightly eerie atmosphere...yikes! 

~*Tenryu-ji Zen Temple*~

The next morning - after grabbing coffee at a coffee shop with AMAZING views - we spent time exploring Tenryu-ji Zen Temple. The temple is located in Arashiyama - which is at the foot of the mountains on the western edge of Kyoto. 

Tenryu-ji was established in 1339 (construction was completed in 1345) and is the head temple of the Tenryu branch of Rinzai Zen Buddhism. The temple was destroyed or damaged by fires eight times throughout history. It is ranked number one of Kyoto's so-called Five Mountains (the city's five major Zen temples) and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. 

There is a rather interesting story associated with the temple's creation. Apparently the shogun Ashikaga Takauji wanted the temple established in memory of the Emperor Go-Daigo. Early on, Ashikaga and the Emperor had been friends - but when Ashikaga opposed the Emperor's attempt to bring the Imperial House back to power - thus restoring a civilian government - the emperor decreed that Ashikaga be hunted down and executed. This didn't happen and the Ashikaga shogunate actually came to power when the Emperor's attempts failed. It's interesting to wonder what the Emperor might think about a friend turned enemy dedicating a temple to him. 

In addition to the temple, the grounds have absolutely gorgeous gardens. And, if you continuing walking through the gardens - you will stumble across the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove. The pictures don't do the site justice - but there is a path that you can walk that leads you through a huge bamboo grove. The bamboo is really tall and surrounds you on all sides. It's truly an amazing site! I've never seen anything like it! 

Photo credit - insidekyoto.com

Continuing our walk through the bamboo grove, we came to Okochi-Sanso Villa - which is formerly the estate of the famed film actor Okochi Denjiro. You have to pay an entrance fee - but then you are free to wander around the estate. The gardens and views are stunning - and when you're finished touring - you get to enjoy some matcha (green tea) and yummy sweets! 

Just a glimpse of the beauty...

Enjoy tea and snacks! 

Can you see the sakura?

We spent the rest of our time in Kyoto, perusing the shops in Nishiki Market and the restaurants in the Gion area. We enjoyed some gyoza (dumplings), ramen (yummy bowl of noodle goodness), and melon-pan filled with matcha ice cream!

Kyoto is such a wonderful place to explore - and we only saw a small sliver of what the city has to offer. I can't wait for our next visit to explore even more! 

Sunny moments: Exploring a beautiful city; spending time with Sophia (it's was great to catch up after 6 years!); sunny skies and blooming sakura; being surprised by how "foreigner-friendly" the city was (SO much English).

Cloudy moments: None that I can think of!