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Theresa O’Connor / Treasa Ní Chonchúir

A day trip to 姫路 (Himeji)

Part of our

Eryn’s wanted to see 姫路城（Himeji Castle） for ages, and we didn’t manage to see it when she was last here, so we made a point of visiting this time. It’s incredible.

A large white Japanese castle stands on its fortified base. The main keep is at least five storeys tall.

If you’ve ever seen a photo of a Japanese castle, it was probably Himeji Castle. It’s the Platonic ideal of a Japanese castle, and the largest surviving one. The inner bailey covers an extensive amount of land in the center of the city. The main keep is six storeys tall.

A child and a woman are inside a room, looking out a brightly-lit window. The window has narrow vertical slats. The room is of dark wood and a light colored plaster.
A child looks at the camera with a pensive espression. She’s standing next to an adult who is only partly visible. The two of them are in a dark wood room, and they’re standing next to a bright window.

The wood- and metalwork throughout the structure are very impressive.

A circular piece of metal has a swirling pattern in its center.
A circular piece of metal has a butterfly or moth rendered in its center.

I was afraid EJ would find it boring, but she was pretty fascinated by the castle. One of the docents gave her an origami shiruken.

A child smiles at the camera. Behind the child, in the distance, is a white Japanese castle.
A white Japanese castle towers over its ramparts.
Below a white Japanese castle, a child and a woman pose for a selfie. The woman is smiling, while the child is making a very silly face.