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| Himeji Castle in a box. The renovations will be complete, and the box will come off in 2015. You can see the renovation schedule here |
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| Himeji Castle dates to 1333, when Akamatsu Norimura built a fort on top of Himeyama hill |
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| The castle is regarded as the finest surviving example of prototypical Japanese castle architecture |
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| The castle is in a box, the sakura (cherry blossom) is not quite out and it was very cold, but we still enjoyed our trip to Himeji |
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| Daniela in a lovely corridor leading to the West Bailey building |
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| Himeji Castle is the largest and most visited castle in Japan, and it was registered in 1993 as one of the first UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the country |
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| Himeji Castle is the largest and most visited castle in Japan |
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| Unlike many other Japanese castles, Himeji Castle was never destroyed in wars, earthquakes or fires and survives in its original form |
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| In January 1995, the city of Himeji was substantially damaged by the Great Hanshin earthquake, but Himeji Castle again survived virtually undamaged, demonstrating remarkable earthquake resistance. Even the bottle of sake placed on the altar at the top floor of the keep remained in place |
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| The lines of the roof structure are beautiful |
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| Baby castle nestling up against the box! |
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| The castle has been featured extensively in foreign and Japanese films, including the James Bond movie "You Only Live Twice" and Akira Kurosawa's Kagemusha |
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| Daniela braving the cold |
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| Fabulous doorway |
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| More lines |
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| One of the castle's most important defensive elements is the confusing maze of paths leading to the castle keep |
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| Koshi-kuruwa, a long storehouse situated at the back of the main tower. Rice and salt was kept here in case the castle was besieged |
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| Ninja! |
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| Standing at Ha-no-mon, the main tower looks extremely close, but if you continue along the path, it will take you away from the tower |
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| Sakura trying to come out despite the cold |
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| The castle complex included three moats, one of which—the outer moat—is now buried. Parts of the central moat and all of the inner moat survive |
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| Wish I had his outfit. Superb |
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| The coming together of the beauty and the functionality of the castle is what makes it so special. Most castles I have seen are impressive and imposing because they are built for one reason, to be impenetrable to the enemy. Himeji castle is beautiful, a true rarity |
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| Children enjoying a touch of history |
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| I used my immense influence with the Japanese and persuaded them to take the box off for just a few seconds so I could take a photo.... |
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| ....so here it in all it's glory. Himeji-jo's nickname Shirasagi-jo means "White Heron Castle" because the main keep with its three smaller towers resembles a white heron |
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| oooops! |
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| You can take this free bus from Himeji station to the castle, but if you are tall like me, you might like to walk... |
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| Two local girls who were happy to have their photo taken |
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| Thanks to Daniela for capturing this moment. Next time I'll post photos of our day-trip to Mt. Koyasan, including its very intriguing cemetery |
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