Himeji Castle

Back to the exercise regime as we continued our trip to our next stop…Himeji Castle. Castles in Japan are almost always built up on a hill, in fact, it’s usually the highest hill available in the area and this one is no exception. Then, to make sure you can see your enemies coming from far away, the castle is developed with many levels, high towers on every corner, with, of course, the necessary stairs to connect all of these wonderful chambers and towers together. Now, since this is the only castle to have never been destroyed or even involved in a battle, it is well preserved so, of course, you have to go through the entire place. The route is well designed, taking you through each and every nook and cranny (including the toilet area) via an extensive set of stairs. In castles, steps were never designed with a regular tread – that would have been much too easy for the invading forces to have run up them. All stairs are totally irregular – some small steps, some rather large ones (great for those legs). Just to add to the experience, head level beams can be found at strategic locations, so placed to knock out the unwary raider, or tourist, as the case may be.