Day 30 (W) - Himeji

A shorter travel time (meaning the ordinary hour to Shin-Osaka to get the Shinkansen, but the Shinkansen ride was less than an hour), meaning more time at the city itself. The main attraction is Himeji Castle (used as the 'Osaka castle' in the movie Shogun),

which sadly started undergoing reconstruction this year, so we couldn't go inside the main keep. But we got to go around the walls and through the West Bailey, which was cool in both senses of the word. 

We also saw the location of the origin of one of Japan's most famous ghost stories, Okiku's Well. According to the story, she was a maid at the castle, and heard of a plot against her Lord by one of his retainers. She warned her lord, and the plotters we caught. When they found out who told on them, however, one of them stole one of the family's 10 great treasures, a gold plate or something, and put the blame on Okiku. She was killed, and her body thrown in the well, where it was said for long after she could be heard (and seen) counting plates, 1, 2, 3.... 

Also cool was a display of the kamon, the house symbols of the families who had lorded over Himeji.

After the castle, we went to a park nearby, where we only had a half hour. But it was worth it, made up of several different gardens, 

and a special display of Kirigami, cut paper glued on plain backgrounds. 

Great day, and we didn't get home too late.