We grabbed some lunch from a fancy supermarket; I chose a sushi dish and we shared a pot of fruit which we ate in the castle grounds before venturing into the castle itself.
Himeji castle is stunning. With the white exterior and the dark wooden interior it looks quite striking. We climbed all the way to the top, up massively steep stairs, ducking beneath low ceilings (yes, even I had to duck a couple of times) before reaching the lovely views across Himeji and out to the hills beyond. From the top the roofing could be seen which was very intricate but it had only recently been restored so I'm not sure what was original and what was new.
We spent some time walking round the castle and its grounds, taking in all angles of the beautiful building whilst enjoying the perfect sunshine. My orangeness will return. We then moved onto a garden only 300 metres from the castle. It was quaint and calm with many ponds and water features. Much nicer than English gardens.
As we'd spent most of the day at the castle it was nearing time for dinner. A little Japanese lady asked if we were lost and somehow ended up walking us round the block, showing us a couple of nice places to eat. Unfortunately, they were both a little pricey so when she was out of sight we walked on to find somewhere else. We settled for some place that had barbecued meat and chose the 'broiled peppered bird' with rice and a salad. I'm still unsure what the bird was but we ate it all. The flavour was lovely however it was a little too chewy for our liking. Not the worst thing we've had though.
Not the most exciting of days for the blog but, from the pictures that will follow, you will hopefully appreciate why we spent so much time around Himeji castle.
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