IX. Himeji

We made it to one of the most famous sights of Japan. It is the cover of countless travel guides. It is the „Neuschwanstein“ of Japan, the japanese version of the Disneyland Castle. The incredible Himeji Castle!

As you can tell the expectations were set high! We were expecting nothing less than a 1 Million Dollar shot and life changing experience. We arrived at the Hiroshima Train Station after great days in Koyasan. Thick clouds were hanging in the sky and it was slightly drizzling. When we were checking into the hotel we were crossing fingers that we would be lucky enough to have some sun beams striking through. First we had to recognize once more one of the most annoying issues in Japan. The smell of cold smoke in the hotel room…

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We made the short walk to the castle and early you can tell this sightseeing spot was the center of attention. Not much else to see here. The sky was still grey and luckily we were early at the entrance. Probably one of the first visitors of the day. We had great views at the hotel. The guide was telling us many stories about this historic landmark. However, what stick to my memory was, that even though it was build to defend and fight, the castle never got the chance to prevail in the war. Also one reason why it is still looking impeccable. And it really does. Once you are inside you would not believe how clean and well preserved it is. It is not difficult to imagine the Samurai living in it. Almost every angle to the castle brings a great shot. In the end however I must say, it did not reach the high hanging expectations. It is worth stopping by, that is for sure, but it would probably make it in the Top 5 of my Japan travels after all.

Let’s see if Hiroshima can lift the spirits and can offer us a hotel room without cold smoke.

Lessonslearnt:

• Sakura would be the right time to get the million dollar shot. Yet you would need to prepare for thousands other visitors.
• Don’t plan more than one night in Himeji
• As already mentioned in the other blogs. Himeji Castle was suffering several Drone attacks. Drones that were crashing into the building. Even though it was tempting, drone flying is made impossible here.