Japan 2008 (2) - Himeji Castle (姫路城)

Day 3
Even though we were exhausted last night and went to bed close to midnight, we still got up at 5:00 am this morning. I hate jet lag. We went out to search for breakfast. The hotel has a little restaurant attach to it, but we wanted to go where the locals eat. So we went to the food street next to the train station, and found this little noodle shop across the street from Starbucks. The pictures outside showed that they had beef udon noodle for 310 Yen and ramen noodle for 280 Yen, so we went in.

1. The noodle shop.


Inside, there were vending machines by the entrance where we ordered and paid first. Three guys standing in the middle started cooking the orders before we even sat down. Within minutes of us coming in, our piping hot noodle dishes were ready, and they were fantastic. There were ~15 stools around the counters on three sides. Later, we even saw some standing room only noodle shops in street corners or train station.

2. We asked their permission to take this photo, one guy even stopped his work and posed for us.


After breakfast, we headed out toward Himeji Castle. First we needed to go to Osaka train station. The best way to reach there from Namba is by taking the Midosuji Subway Line (230 Yen one way per person). The subway was easy to take. The stations are named by letter and number. For example, Namba station is M20. Umeda station (for Osaka train station) is M16, so we needed to get off at the 4th stop. From Osaka train station, it's a 60-minutes train ride to Himeji. The train ticket would cost 1,450 Yen one way per person, but as foreign tourists, we were eligible to purchase the 1day JR-WEST RAIL PASS for 2,000 Yen. JR stands for Japan Railway. The PASS allows unlimited travel on JR-WEST lines for a day, which covers Himeji. So the PASS saved us at least 900 Yen per person. 

Note: The PASS has to be purchased at special JR ticket office, not the ones used by general public. With the train station map in hand, it took us a little while before finding the ticket office. Now thinking back, we probably could get the PASS at the Osaka airport JR ticket office easier. They are right next to the Nankai ticket office where we bought the train tickets to Namba.

From Osaka station, there are trains to Himeji every ~15 minutes. Some are direct trains, some require a transfer. We were lucky to get on a direct train that day. The weather wasn't very cooperative. It started to rain just when we were approaching the castle, and didn't stop all day.

3. According to japan-guide.com: "Himeji Castle is widely considered Japan's most spectacular castle. Unlike many other Japanese castles, Himeji Castle was never destroyed in wars, earthquakes or fires and survives in its original form." You can explore the inside of the castle all the way to the top by climbing 6 floors of stairs in provided slippers.


4. At the entrance where the above picture was taken, two guys were helping tourists taking pictures for free. Their job title "Shutter Clicker". I hope every tourist sites hire "Shutter Clicker" like that. That is so thoughtful.


5. By the time we were ready to leave, I finally saw what the red bench was for. They were for man and woman dressing in kimonos, posing pictures for/with tourists. And that is free too. Though the guy could use a little more smile.


6. Another look of the Himeji Castle.


By the time we got back to Osaka, Osaka was raining too. We briefly checked out the Umeda Sky Building from outside, didn't even bother going to Osaka Castle since it was raining so hard.

7. Umeda Sky Building, one of Osaka's most recognizable landmarks. It has a rooftop observatory, which was visited in Leg 10 of Amazing Race 12.


8. Dinner was at a different conveyor belt sushi place. This one charged 130 Yen (tax included) per plate. I had some interesting stuff, including a 6-inch long raw shrimp complete with head and tail. Dave chose to pass it.


(To be continued)