Trekking to #Himeji Castle to scale that turret
Hiroshima - Himeji - Kyoto
Nothing like a little train ride or two to start the day. A different experience though, we were really on our way to #Kyoto but broke our journey along the way at #Himeji to visit the castle. Thank goodness that we got to ditch the backpacks here as we stored them in the train station lockers - otherwise we would have been humping then on the 39-minute walk from the station to the castle.
We joined hundreds of others on this walk through the station and town - especially very large groups of students who were on their senior year excursion. We were motivated though, because even from the distance of the station, we could see the distinctive white turret in the distance.
Today's explorations
Made it through the avenue of now green cherry blossom trees, over the #Sukura-Mon Bridge and through the impressive #Ote-mon Gate to be welcomed by two guides. Broke into two groups and of course had to get our "ear in" with the new accent and Japanese version of English. Aided by lots of pictures, and the collaborative game of "group charades" we enjoyed a 90-minute tour of the castle.
Getting your ear in with the specialist guide
The current structure of the #Himeji Castle was built in 1601. However, the roots of the castle go back to 1333, and the castle has been torn down and rebuilt several times between 1333 and 1601. It has survived in such great condition, because it has never been attacked! Even dodged the air raids of World War 2. According to our guide - this was because the towns people camouflaged it in black charcoal making it appear as a "pond" to the pilots above. Hmmm, not sure ... the alternate version suggests an American commander had visited prior to the war and had given orders for it to be avoided.
Uneven surfaces, narrowing entrances and low gates kept the enemies at bay - kept us on our toes as well
In recent history the castle has once again been disassembled and assessed for safety and durability. Some 90% of the original structure was maintained and the pieces returned to their original places. There were no blueprints for the castle because its defence systems were a secret. All the secrets have now been documented as a result of the latest reconstruction.
The castle was pure white. The walls were covered in white plaster to make them more resistant to fire in the event of an attack. Its roofs curled up on the ends into flowing eaves (which some say resemble a bird's wings) - which accounts for its nickname #White Heron Castle.
There were dozens of defence features that were shared on our walk: the narrowing of the pathways, the ascent and descent of slopes, the shooting angles from the castle walls, trap doors, uneven height and width steps, concealed passageways, low beams (can you believe it, I was the only one who hit their head), high steps into rooms, stone dropping holes, steep muddy slopes and plenty of "false pathways" to send you in the wrong direction.
With our new found knowledge of stone wall construction, the group did become a little preoccupied with finding the keystone that would bring the walls of the tunnels tumbling down. Glad we had a fail in that department and we left the castle with all walls intact 3
It was fascinating stuff really. Again, no castle. What we were here for was to scale the "turret." Yes, shoes off and then a series of very steep, almost ladder like steps to get you up the 7 floors to the top of the turret. A point of retreat for the samurai in times of invasion - a storehouse in times of peace - the climb was worth it to just say "I did it." But the crush of people was insane. They had to close off the top floor while we were there because there were just too many people trying to access the limited space. We did get our turn to take in the view before being shepherded back for the return journey - and the steps were equally treacherous on the way down
Highly recommend the whole experience - especially with a guide like ours, who had all the stories.
Broke the trek back to the station with a lunch stop. We were with @Mrs L_d and @Mr_P and decided to "go native." Picked a restaurant that had no English but fabulous pictures. Had the dual translators going and some creative charades, made some pork, cow and chicken noises - accompanied by actions - and somehow cobbled together a lunch that was fabulous - @Mac rated it as one of the best so far! Glad everyone was happy with chicken and pork because I had nothing in my charade's repertoire for prawns, sea urchin and conger eel. Scored an ice cream as well and reported right on time at the meet up point for the locker raid and the resumption of the train ride to #Kyoto.
We were standing in the open-air station and had our first experience of the #Shinkansen flying past in the opposite direct. Apparently was clocking 180 kph as it flew by and scared everyone with its absolute roar!
Finished the trek and were welcomed to #Kyoto by huge crowds. So many levels and layers to the station and everyone was moving with purpose. We were divided into four taxis to make our way to the hotel and thank goodness @Mac had #Google Maps in play because our driver needed some help in the final navigation.
One level, one entrance at #Kyoto Station
Again, a drop and run for the backpack because there were sights to see!
Gion Geisha District - the afternoon and evening session was a walk through the historical region of Gion - narrow streets lined with traditional wooden houses, marked with the name tiles of the #Geiko and #Meiko. We had received very specific guidelines in the protocols for visiting this area including being quiet and no photos. The general message was, to quote, "This is NOT a theme park like Disneyland and these are not dressed up characters." Message received loud and clear and with security cameras and fines in place, we were compliant. These alleyways were the homes and tea houses (not for the tea ceremony - rather entertainment spaces for hire) of real people who live and work in the area. No photos were permitted of either the houses or of the geishas. We spotted three ladies who were on their way to work, shuffling slowly in their white socks and wooden shoes. Perfectly made up, hair up. Face and costumes resplendent. (Laughing here as I am checking @Mac's photos - I thought he had a surreptitious photo of a geisha - when I enlarged it, was just a lady with a backpack!)
So many of the visiting tourists took advantage of the hire costumes and they too were shuffling through the district.
@Yasuna shared the lifestyle of the geisha - these are exclusive, expensive entertainers who train in their "houses" for 4 to 5 years, learning the arts of dance, playing musical instruments, flower arrangement, tea ceremony and the art of attentive conversation.
The geisha can be hired as entertainment but never to "strangers." You must be introduced by someone who is known to the house. You enjoy the entertainment and pay later - so there is a degree of trust involved. Mind you, in today's tourist heavy world this is changing with tour agents acting as a go between in the bookings.
And needless to say - not a very popular choice of career for a young woman of today - during the indentured period - you receive no wages, are tied to the "mother of the house and your house sisters," strictly no boyfriends and the big one ... no mobile phone. Having said that, the ladies are highly respected, get their name on a door and have a personal emblem on the kimono.
Downtown Kyoto - Left the relative quiet of this historical #Higashiyana and strolled along the banks of the #Kamo River in fading light and joined the absolute crush of people heading to #Downtown Kyoto. Live music from groups playing under the bridge, people with meals and drinks sitting in the open areas along the river, buses and cars amidst this constant surge of humanity.
Introductions were given to a few meal choices in the never-ending covered arcade, but we decided to stick with @Yasuna's "local knowledge choice" (this is her hometown) and followed her into a very narrow doorway. Pulled up a stool and our order of a special pork cutlet and omelette combination was a winner winner ... twice in the one day.
Everyone strolled home independently, and we ambled along the banks of the river to #Gojo (we love saying it) Bridge, dropped into our local "Family Mart" for some liquid supplies and gratefully called it a day. I don't know about "twinkles in my wrinkles" but my feet are sore!
PS Got tricked today by an extra little zero. On the walk back from the castle @Mrs_L_d and I were both tempted by a handbag shop. The items on display at the front were in our price range. We both gravitated to a display of coin ourselves. Leather. Green. Perfect. Picked it up- gave it a good sniff - felt how soft it was - tried all the nooks and crannies. We were SOLD. Had one each - so good @Mrs_L_d was thinking of two. We had done the maths - ¥1920 ($19.20 AUD) equivalent. Presented to the counter and the kind lady said "Are you sure - ¥19200?" Oops, it was $192 AUD and we were both sure that was a NO.
PPS Always a surprise in the toilets. There are so many buttons to choose from and sometimes it is even difficult to identify the flush button. Today, discovered a "new" option - a dryer. It blows warm air to the washed nether areas. Must say ot took me a little while to press the "stop" button - had no idea a trip to the loo could be so much fun! Fancy that, a blow dry when you least expect it ... and can't you just hear the jokes rolling off that ... made for interesting lunch conversation.
Weather: can you believe the sky - 25
Steps: 19 046
KEEP CALM THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
It's important to have a twinkle in your wrinkle. Anonymous
No comments:
Post a Comment