“There is nothing in the desert, and no man needs nothing.”

The first time I went to Kansai, I was told to visit Himeji castle but didn’t because it was a few hours out of the way and I didn’t have much time. I regretted it soon after, when I learned it had gone under construction and would not be out for several years. But this time I wanted to see it even with the scaffold.

This is the well known for the ghost legend of Okiku.

Evidently they couldn’t find enough big stones to build the foundation, so in some parts coffins were use:

The walls have a curve to make them harder to climb:

Every lord had his own seal, and it would be place on the edge of the roof of the portion of the castle built while he was in power. It’s fascinating that you can walk along and see the gradation of eras.

And then some of them are just plain cute:

And then I bought the guidebook to get the full effect of the “White Heron Castle.”