In 2006 I visited Japan for the first time. It was a trip for my Japanese language class organized by our teacher. We spent a week or so in homestay with another family, and a week or so sightseeing around major cities. In this series I would like to share my memories of experiencing Japan for the first time, along with the pictures I have left from this trip. Keep in mind these pictures were taken on old disposable polaroids, so I'm doing the best I can to get them digitized and touched up a bit.
I begin with Himeji Castle, the largest castle left standing in Japan. Although technically dating back to the 1300s, the final construction wasn't until 1618. It survived extensive bombing in WWII, a 7.3 magnitude earthquake, and has even belonged to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, one of Japan's 3 great unifiers. It's the most visited castle in Japan with nearly 3 million visitors last year.
One of my favorite things about Japan is how seamlessly modernity and history are integrated. As you see below, you come upon Himeji while traveling down a main, modern road, only to walk through an enormous gate straight into 400+ years ago. Pretty neat.
These winding, escalating pathways take you up to the castle. The holes in the walls are made to allow archers to fire through at approaching enemies on the path below. You can see how one side is large open shapes, while from the other side they're just small holes.
Inside the castle you'll find historical artifacts: weapons, armor, documents... It's like a 400 year old, very tall museum.
The fish is called shachi and is a good luck symbol to keep fires away.
I think these pictures from the top capture how modern living and historical preservation live hand in hand in Japan. You're surrounded by peaceful nature, ascending a castle, then you look out the window to find a bustling city just outside the castle walls.
this centuries old castle was fun, now let's walk down the street to the arcade
Thanks for looking!