Himeji Castle

Another wonder of the Japanese world and one we were glad that we didn't miss. It has just reopened after a 2.4 billion Yen restoration (about £18.4 million) which took five and a half years and is now one of Japans top tourist attractions. Known as "The White Egret Castle" and said to be Japans "finest and most magnificent", it certainly was a splendid sight both from afar and up close and personal. Inside it was wooden and empty - other than the thousands of other (mostly Japanese) visitors whom we joined in a cheerful though slow moving queue. Some of the information boards were in English so we did pick up a smattering of how the castle proposed to keep out unwelcome visitors and we marvelled at the maze of approach lines, the cleverly designed battlements which made climbing more difficult the higher you went, the organised interiors, the fire resistant walls (but not the interior), the openings for firing guns, dropping stones, pouring boiling oil and shooting arrows and muskets on the attackers below. Impressive but never tested. I doubt if it would have stood in Ghengis Khan's way for very long, but then it wasn't built with him in mind. It was built in the time of feuding warlords (16c.) and it seems to have had the desired deterrent effect so the two toilets built for use only when under siege, were never tested.
Again, Japanese Railways behaved impeccably and we had no difficulty getting to Himeji and back in time to collect another Hard Rock bottle opener/fridge magnet for the collection and for a reminder of what western food tasted like.