Re-visiting
Himeji Castle 2018/Carlos Pueblo
Himeji
Castle is located at Himeji City, Kansai about 1 hour train ride from Osaka.
It is very
beautiful and precious listed as a Cultural World Heritage, a National
Treasury of
Japan. After my first visit in 2016, I have learned more of Japanese
history and
decided to fulfill a dream of additional two visit of the same caliber,
Kumamoto and
Matsumoto Castles on this trip this year. Kiyoshi Otani San is from
Himeji and appointed
as a tourist ambassador for the city and gives us two passbooks
of the city
tourist bureau. We also visited the neighbor gardens of Senhime and
Kokoen. Both
are beautiful especial the Kokoen Garden, one of the most beautiful
garden in
Japan.
The castle
from far away is looked like a white crane with open wings. It is one of
a few original
castles in Japan, 100 plus more remaining from the counted 1000.
Only few of
the cherry were blooming when we entered the Tenshukaku, the
commanding tower
of 6 story, needed a few more days to peak. The que was very
long from
outside to the top of the building and required to take off and carried our
owned shoes
up. Because of crowded visitors, everything was removed and safety
officers
installed. It was clearly a long que from outside to inside and to the top and
down. Even
the living quarter of the other structure, Nishino maru, most of the
decoration
such as Senhemi’s figure with servant playing cards and her background
illustration
were gone thin time. After the first visit, I have reviewed several time of
the history
of the last leg of the 150 year war period, Sengoku period or Warring
States
period. Senhime, daughter of Tokugawa, lived at the Nishinomaru, first married
to the son
of Toyotomi then the lord’s son of Himeji. Her mother Oeyo was a sister
of Nobunaga.
Nobunaga, Toyotomi, and Tokugawa were three major characters of
that period.
I have watched so many video of movies in my life.
Kokoen was
built in 1994, a modern Japanese garden. There are more than four
Flowering trees
sub-garden in it and a lovely tea house surrounded with a long
pond with
colorful koi carps swimming under small arc bridges connecting islands
with a
stream flowing down through rocky hills. I especially crossed the path order
to visit old
plum blossom red, white, and mixed colors. There were some early
cherry
blossom. I asked a permission to photo for Amy and a come to age girl with
costume kimono
dress under a tree of cherry blossom. I have heard and read a lot
of plum
flower in my childhood and this is my lucky time to observe some of them
on old
banzai trees.
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