姫路城 （himeji castle)
Last weekend, Shiaw Jia, Mimi, Gift, Nawawi and I took a trip to Himeji Castle. It was the first time i stepped into a REAL castle! wooah!! it took 3 hours to get there, and 4 hours to get back - and we explored the castle for only 3hrs! well.. lots of cool pics though!
Himeji Castle, also nicknamed White Heron Castle (because its walls are plastered white, for fireproofing purposes), is a really pristinely preserved woody labyrinth - you can get lost in this 5 storeyed goliath as it twists and turns at various points, and as you explore hidden doors and rooms around... The castle has lasted 400 yrs, and was never used in any wars. It's an UNESCO World Heritage site.
one of the first thing you'll notice when u walk in is the WOOD. most of the interior and the big gates are made of wood. i love wood so i love himeji castle (poor logic but its ok!) this is a pic of us - that all of us love! artistic shot!
the next thing you notice are the various shaped holes in the walls - for pple to shoot/spy on the progress of their enemies perhaps. there are other hidden holes in the castle proper, for pouring arrows, rocks, hot oil and water on enemies who tried to climb up to the tower.
it took many many stones to create the outside walls of the castle - so many that they also embedded stone COFFINS as replacements for stones ... eeekks....
anyway, there were various wells of varying depths around the castle, so that in case of enemy attack, water source, however small, would always be ensured.
one rare find on the castle grounds was this Oil wall - it is the only surviving wall made of clay and sand. it is said to be very strong... enuff to withstand bullets?!
then there are the various insignias each representing a different family. various insignia are also used in almost decoratively, it seems at the ends of the tiles on the short roofs on the way to the tower.
armour of old
we also visited the wing in which Princess Sen used to stay - basically we walked forever down a never ending corridor of rooms ... boooring. and in the end, all we saw was this. *twang* i mean. the poor princess walked for SO LONG to reach this room. i'm sure she had no friends cause i wouldn't have wanted to walk in so far. *bimbotic moment*
last shots of the castle
an interesting shot from bottom up
you have to visit himeji castle just ONCE. cause its worth it. be prepared to spend some money and time on the travelling.....
Himeji Castle, also nicknamed White Heron Castle (because its walls are plastered white, for fireproofing purposes), is a really pristinely preserved woody labyrinth - you can get lost in this 5 storeyed goliath as it twists and turns at various points, and as you explore hidden doors and rooms around... The castle has lasted 400 yrs, and was never used in any wars. It's an UNESCO World Heritage site.
one of the first thing you'll notice when u walk in is the WOOD. most of the interior and the big gates are made of wood. i love wood so i love himeji castle (poor logic but its ok!) this is a pic of us - that all of us love! artistic shot!
the next thing you notice are the various shaped holes in the walls - for pple to shoot/spy on the progress of their enemies perhaps. there are other hidden holes in the castle proper, for pouring arrows, rocks, hot oil and water on enemies who tried to climb up to the tower.
it took many many stones to create the outside walls of the castle - so many that they also embedded stone COFFINS as replacements for stones ... eeekks....
anyway, there were various wells of varying depths around the castle, so that in case of enemy attack, water source, however small, would always be ensured.
one rare find on the castle grounds was this Oil wall - it is the only surviving wall made of clay and sand. it is said to be very strong... enuff to withstand bullets?!
then there are the various insignias each representing a different family. various insignia are also used in almost decoratively, it seems at the ends of the tiles on the short roofs on the way to the tower.
armour of old
we also visited the wing in which Princess Sen used to stay - basically we walked forever down a never ending corridor of rooms ... boooring. and in the end, all we saw was this. *twang* i mean. the poor princess walked for SO LONG to reach this room. i'm sure she had no friends cause i wouldn't have wanted to walk in so far. *bimbotic moment*
last shots of the castle
an interesting shot from bottom up
you have to visit himeji castle just ONCE. cause its worth it. be prepared to spend some money and time on the travelling.....
posted by oatsandapples at
20:09
1 Comments:
where's this?
think i didn't have time to visit:(
and i like the last pic of the castle.
By
D, at Wednesday, February 07, 2007
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