Himeji Castle is indeed impressive and striking with its white walls standing out in the midst of the city. My thoughts of castles immediately switched to that of the samurai, ninjas and Edo soldiers fighting and sieging a castle, just like in Europe where I thought of medieval knights and cannons and kings and queens of the royal court. So I was thoroughly amused by my friends' opinion of castles being places where an evil queen or princess drowns a palace maid, most often in the castle well. Oh wells...I kept my 自high to myself by screaming 攻城!!!!
Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Family crests
I wonder how ninjas would infiltrate the castle?
Low door
Where guards would hide to protect their masters
Steep steps to the topmost 6th floor
I think this was an inverted dragon
Supposed to chop it behind the guide brochure which was given to us, but we only realised this after we left the castle and did it in our passports instead :p
Yes...this is one of the wells in which a palace maid was drowned....so the girls got their thoughts and wishes played out after all!
A quick, yummy and cheap bento set meal I grabbed for myself as we zipped to the next location
So on to the next topic: deers. The deer is regarded as a sacred messenger from the gods in Japan and particularly in Nara (奈良). And they are let loose within a huge park (奈良公園 Nara-kōen). So they are pretty much everywhere and eager and waiting to be fed by tourists. And I really mean eager cos these docile creatures (ya right...) would go berserk at the sight of deer biscuits.
Meet the friendly mascot for Nara. Half deer half erm...monk? Fugly in my opinion..
The 3-storied mini pagoda of Kōfuku-ji (興福寺)
I was thinking of venison in hot plate when I did this....mmmm
Eager deer troops towards excited tourist...nope...no food...
Turns to me for food after unleashing a pile of crap...yes it's visible in the pic
Haughtily saunters off after realising I'm food-less! Hey! You're supposed to be my food!
Up close and personal...I think the deer are seriously used to all these le
The 5 storied pagoda in Kōfuku-ji (興福寺) which could have been a serious contender for the tallest pagoda in Tō-ji
This sign cracked me up...Lonely Planet keeps saying that misguided tourists mistake this for food edible to humans. There's your warning...
Well at least this deer was gentle to the little kid
This deer was soooo obedient that it stood right in front of the Nandai-mon as if waiting to take pictures and pose with it. Naturally all of us did!
One of the twin protectors of the Nandai-mon
Innocent kid vs deer part 2
Tōdai-ji (東大寺), the star attraction here in Nara, as it houses the largest Buddha statue in Japan and it is said to be one of the largest wooden building in the world. Indeed it is an awe-inspring sight.
There's actually a window up there that can be opened and when viewed from afar, the head of the Buddha statue is visible
Loads of people were gathered at this peculiar small hole. It is said that your wishes are granted if you can squeeze through it!
On the way out we saw this poor lady getting mobbed by hungry deer
Her map got ripped to shreds and the deer biscuit selling auntie came to the rescue by gently whacking the deer
Numerous stone lanterns on the way to Kasuga Taisha (春日大社)
Got my chop again!
Other things dedicated to the deer in Nara
Meet the friendly mascot for Nara. Half deer half erm...monk? Fugly in my opinion..
The 3-storied mini pagoda of Kōfuku-ji (興福寺)
I was thinking of venison in hot plate when I did this....mmmm
Eager deer troops towards excited tourist...nope...no food...
Turns to me for food after unleashing a pile of crap...yes it's visible in the pic
Haughtily saunters off after realising I'm food-less! Hey! You're supposed to be my food!
Up close and personal...I think the deer are seriously used to all these le
The 5 storied pagoda in Kōfuku-ji (興福寺) which could have been a serious contender for the tallest pagoda in Tō-ji
This sign cracked me up...Lonely Planet keeps saying that misguided tourists mistake this for food edible to humans. There's your warning...
Well at least this deer was gentle to the little kid
This deer was soooo obedient that it stood right in front of the Nandai-mon as if waiting to take pictures and pose with it. Naturally all of us did!
One of the twin protectors of the Nandai-mon
Innocent kid vs deer part 2
Tōdai-ji (東大寺), the star attraction here in Nara, as it houses the largest Buddha statue in Japan and it is said to be one of the largest wooden building in the world. Indeed it is an awe-inspring sight.
There's actually a window up there that can be opened and when viewed from afar, the head of the Buddha statue is visible
Loads of people were gathered at this peculiar small hole. It is said that your wishes are granted if you can squeeze through it!
On the way out we saw this poor lady getting mobbed by hungry deer
Her map got ripped to shreds and the deer biscuit selling auntie came to the rescue by gently whacking the deer
Numerous stone lanterns on the way to Kasuga Taisha (春日大社)
Got my chop again!
Other things dedicated to the deer in Nara
Essentially, we squeezed Himeji and Nara into a one day trip, which was a do-able thing but best done early in the morning and with a JR pass to take advantage of the shinkansen. (Shinkansen = fast!) Anw it was a good side trip away from Kyoto with different things to see. More updates soon!
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