Yeah yeah... I've been to the castle a lot. But this was the first time I was able to see it entirely finished with its renovations. Now all visitors can go inside the castle and climb to the very top (on the super-steep traditional wooden stairs of doom, no less. Watch your head if you're taller than 5')!
Actually though, I had some friends from Phoenix visiting, so it gave me an excuse to properly go inside the grounds, which are fully operational as of the last couple weeks. So I did get to see the castle in ways that I haven't been able to for the last (almost) two years.
It was a beautiful sunny day, and since it was a Tuesday the crowds weren't too terrible. But honestly, since the renovations have finished the sheer number of tour buses and groups descending onto the castle has been downright overwhelming. Himeji has definitely done a good job of advertising the reopening around the world. I guess I'm just not used to so many people being around, since most of my time here the castle was at below-peak visitors while it was under renovation. If you're thinking of visiting, getting to the castle and gardens at 8:00am, or opening time, is the best way to beat the worst of the day-long-tourist-crush.
A view of the city from around the middle of the castle. You can see the spires of Nagoyama Temple in the distance.
A view of downtown from the top floor of the castle.
We also visited the Koko-en gardens, and I got to see something there for the first time, so that was cool. I'd never really noticed before the lack of waterfowl in all of the ponds and streams in the garden, especially considering how many herons, egrets, and assorted ducks nest in the outer moat just outside the walls. I've since learned that the groundskeepers are all armed with slingshots to chase out pesky koi-eating herons, like this fellow.
He couldn't care less about all of the visitors photographing him as he attempted to snatch some koi. In fact, he would walk right on top of us crouching photographers as he moved to better vantage points. But whenever a groundskeeper started to approach, he'd fly off to a different part of the garden. So even after we left one area, he'd somehow pop up in another. He was pretty determined, and I had a blast watching his antics. One of the groundskeepers commented to me, in English, that this was a "bad bird." He was definitely photogenic, though; in fact, I think he rather enjoyed all of the attention he was getting.
I first spotted him in these bushes, a couple feet from where I was standing.
He eventually started posing on this small waterfall.
After the groundskeeper came, he tried hiding in this thicket. It didn't work too well for him.
Spotted these flowers, I think they're a variety of hydrangea.
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