Himeji and Osaka
Wednesday, July 25, we headed out to Himeji, a two hour train ride from here. There we visited the most famous castle of Japan, the Himeji castle. It's really high. We did a lot of stair climbing. The stairs weren't quite as narrow and steep as the previous castle we visited. Since we always remove our shoes upon entering, the staff is kind enough to lend us slippers. I learned to take them off when climbing the stairs; it makes it easier for me. We carry our shoes around in a plastic bag they provide for us. Upon leaving, we return the bags to a container. From there a person takes out each bag and carefully dusts it inside and out and flattens it before returning it to the entrance of the castle. It's just amazing to see the meticulous care that is given to every detail.
The castle itself was impressive. Signs in Japanese and English explained different things we saw, like the trap doors through which one could pour boiling oil if an enemy were trying to scale the wall (or throw stones or spears, etc.) Different kinds of holes in the wall were positioned either for bows and arrows or for guns. Some were triangular while others were rectangular; some were higher while others were lower. There were racks everywhere on the walls for armaments and pouches of gunpowder. I guess during the feudal times, all people did was try to take over someone else's kingdom, so wars must have been a way of life.
There were towers where just the ladies-in-waiting lived. They had very thick and heavy doors at the entrance to their hall, and every night sentinels would stand guard to protect them. There were also buildings where they stored massive amounts of rice and salt and water, etc. so that they could survive while under siege. Even though this was hundreds of years ago, the signs say you can still see salt on the ground left from then. A famous name that kept showing up was "Honda" even back then.
In the afternoon, on the way back to Moriyama, we stopped in Osaka. We ate at a revolving sushi bar. That was fun. Since we are vegetarians, most of our choices were just 100 yen each (less than $1). It was some delicious and economical eating. To round out our experience in this huge city we visited the underground shopping mall filled with hundreds of boutiques and specialty stores. We had fun picking out some wines from one of their establishments. Just wandering through the rows and rows of different beverages was quite the learning experience. There were shops for practically anything you could think of, and lots of stuff it wouldn't have even occurred to me to think of...French pastry shops, fragrances, herbs, teas, chocolates, spices, curries, gifts of sweets (Japanese style), etc. We even went to some shops that specialize in all kinds of stockings...including leggings and things like colored hose, not to mention all kinds of textured hose.
We would have loved just standing there and watching all the people. It was rush hour and wherever we went there were huge masses of people ever moving in all directions. But we decided to try to get home while it was still light out. Since they don't have Daylight Saving Time here, it is usually quite dark around 7 PM.
In the evening, I played the new Horde character a bit more to level 12.
The castle itself was impressive. Signs in Japanese and English explained different things we saw, like the trap doors through which one could pour boiling oil if an enemy were trying to scale the wall (or throw stones or spears, etc.) Different kinds of holes in the wall were positioned either for bows and arrows or for guns. Some were triangular while others were rectangular; some were higher while others were lower. There were racks everywhere on the walls for armaments and pouches of gunpowder. I guess during the feudal times, all people did was try to take over someone else's kingdom, so wars must have been a way of life.
There were towers where just the ladies-in-waiting lived. They had very thick and heavy doors at the entrance to their hall, and every night sentinels would stand guard to protect them. There were also buildings where they stored massive amounts of rice and salt and water, etc. so that they could survive while under siege. Even though this was hundreds of years ago, the signs say you can still see salt on the ground left from then. A famous name that kept showing up was "Honda" even back then.
In the afternoon, on the way back to Moriyama, we stopped in Osaka. We ate at a revolving sushi bar. That was fun. Since we are vegetarians, most of our choices were just 100 yen each (less than $1). It was some delicious and economical eating. To round out our experience in this huge city we visited the underground shopping mall filled with hundreds of boutiques and specialty stores. We had fun picking out some wines from one of their establishments. Just wandering through the rows and rows of different beverages was quite the learning experience. There were shops for practically anything you could think of, and lots of stuff it wouldn't have even occurred to me to think of...French pastry shops, fragrances, herbs, teas, chocolates, spices, curries, gifts of sweets (Japanese style), etc. We even went to some shops that specialize in all kinds of stockings...including leggings and things like colored hose, not to mention all kinds of textured hose.
We would have loved just standing there and watching all the people. It was rush hour and wherever we went there were huge masses of people ever moving in all directions. But we decided to try to get home while it was still light out. Since they don't have Daylight Saving Time here, it is usually quite dark around 7 PM.
In the evening, I played the new Horde character a bit more to level 12.