Japan: Himeji Castle, and the unexpected air show

Date: 25th March, 2015

I arrived in Himeji city yesterday and I woke up today freezing just as much as I was yesterday night before going to bed. It was bloody cold! I got out of my capsule bed, brushed my teeth in ice cold water and had my breakfast.

Traffic crossing Himeji City Japan — I wanted to finish seeing Himeji Castle as early as possible and leave Himeji city by noon

Himeji directions sign Japan — There were a lot of people heading towards the castle. Himeji Castle is the biggest attraction of this city.

Himeji castle bridge Japan — Himeji Castle is also the biggest castle in Japan

Seating grounds Himeji castle Japan — They had set up chairs on the ground and I saw banners for some sort of event by the Japan Airforce

Walking to Himeji castle Japan — I walked to the ticket counter

Entrance Himeji castle Japan — After paying the 400 yen entrance fee, I entered the castle grounds

Himeji castle map Japan — Himeji Castle is over 400 years old

Himeji Castle main tower Japan — But I was devastated to learn at the ticket counter that the main tower has been under restoration for quite some time and is off limits to visitors!

Himeji castle long corridor — Disappointed, I walked to the outer section of the castle first

Inside long corridor Himeji castle — Inside were some rooms and artifacts on display

Inside Himeji Castle hall — I took out my GoPro

Rooms Himeji Castle Japan — Some rooms were off limits

Himeji Castle ancient rooms Japan — Some rooms were not

Tiles used in Himeji Castle — They had boards showcasing the effort gone into restoring Himeji Castle while maintaining its unique architecture

Videos tourists Himeji Castle — Videos of the restoration work were showed as well

Stencil sketch Himeji Castle — They had stencil artwork you could sketch and take home with you

Princess room Himeji Castle — Mannequins depicting the princess room

Corrido Himeji castle Japan — Most of the corridor showcased old photographs, ancient artifacts, and footage from the restoration work. Nothing really special.

Himeji castle panorama Japan — Back out, I decided to walk towards to the main tower but then I heard the crowd exclaim and look up to the sky

Fighter jet Himeji Japan — It was a fighter jet!

Fighter Jet air show Himeji Japan — The special event was an airshow!

Jet air show Himeji Japan — Wasn’t expecting it but hey, I’ll take it!

Himeji castle air show Japan — I swapped lenses in & out to capture what I could

Japan airforce air show formation — There were 6 of them in total. They are a squad called Blue Impulse, part of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force

Air show Japan airforce stunt — They were doing all sorts of formations

Himeji air show jet formation Japan — It was all pretty cool

Himeji castle air show jets Japan — Especially when the jets flew over Himeji castle

Here’s a video I took on my phone:

Himeji castle Japan — Still, pretty white castle I came all the way for and I couldn’t go inside it

Mithun Divakaran Himeji castle Japan — I asked a fellow tourist to take a photo of me

Himeji castle sakura season Japan — With the airshow over, I walked towards the Main Keep anyway

Shachi Himeji castle Japan — En route were more displays

Tile cross Himeji castle — Himeji Castle incorporates elements of Christianity

Main keep gate Himeji castle Japan — I still saw many visitors walking towards the main tower

Himeji castle main keep Japan — But I along with many others were stopped at this point, saying our regular tickets didn’t allow us to go any further

When I asked the staff member why others were still proceeding towards the main keep, she told me that they had special passes which gave them early access to a preview of the main keep before it officially re-opened to public. I ask when the re-opening was. She said: “Day after tomorrow”.

🙁

Had I known this in advance, I would have re-arranged my dates but there was nothing I could do now. I had no intention of staying in Himeji another night. I asked if there was any way of getting the special passes but the staff member said it was by invitation only. Which I found odd considering I saw a few Chinese tourists, locals and the odd ‘white man’ walk through. I wondered where they got those passes from. Oh well.

Himeji Castle tower Japan — All I could do was take a close up shot of the main tower… from the outside

Disappointed, I decided it was time to leave. There was not much else to see or do here.

Main keep Himeji castle Japan — The final shot

Coming all the way to Himeji just to see the castle… and not being able to see the main tower… and that too knowing that it would re-open in just two days from today… was just… ugh.

I thought about the shinkansen fare to Himeji, sleeping in 2 degree cold, and add to that the feeling I should have stayed in Kyoto longer… oh well, past is past. Time to move on.

I went back to Himeji 588 Guesthouse, packed up my things and took my suitcase down as I had to check out. I still felt like seeing something more as my Himeji sightseeing experience was left with a huge void. I decided to visit a soju factory not too far from the JR station, but that and my shinkansen ride back to Tokyo are in the next post.

Next posts in this series:

Japan 2015: Nadagiku Shuzo Sake Brewery, leaving Himeji for Tokyo — and my last bullet train ride

Japan 2015: Nakamise street, Senso-ji temple, and Ueno Park sakura at half-bloom

Japan 2015: Ueno Zoo – pandas, a lonely polar bear, and more

Japan 2015: Shibuya – the busiest crossing in the world, and home to a loyal dog

Japan 2015: Nishi-Shinjuku — views from Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building sky deck

Japan 2015: Shopping in Shinjuku, and Kabukicho

Japan 2015: Denboin garden, near Sensoji Temple

Japan 2015: Cherry blossom celebrations by Sumida River

Japan 2015: Boat ride to Odaiba; giant Gundam statue at DiverCity Mall

Japan 2015: Cherry blossoms at Tokyo Imperial Palace east garden

Japan 2015: Cherry blossom sightings at Shinjuku Gyoen