Daily Diary 07/10: Narratives of Tradition

Waking up early, we packed up our trip to Hiroshima at APA Hotel and headed for the Shinkansen (Bullet Train) by 9am. Once again, the great Miki reserved us train seats in advance so we got the comfortable, spacious seats on our way to Kyoto.

Making our way through the Hiroshima train station

In the reserved seats on the Shinkansen headed for Himeji

This excursion week has been centered around traditions and traditional culture in Japan. So on our way to Kyoto, we made an afternoon stop at Himeji. After a short train ride, we arrived at the area of the Himeji Castle. As planned, we went to eat lunch as a group and were pleasantly surprised with a bento lunch and horigotatsu-style group dining. Following a filling, delicious lunch, we had some story time at the restaurant before walking down the street to the Himeji Castle.

           

Story time!

          

    Bento lunch

Group horigotatsu-style lunch

The Himeji Castle represents many traditional aspects of Japan. Himeji Castle is a historical Japanese medieval fortress and world cultural heritage site (1993) that is located in the center of Himeji City. We soaked in the beautiful architecture in the warm sun as we hiked up over 10 flights of stairs. However, the view of Himeji City and the cultural knowledge gained were worth it. The traditional architecture of the Himeji Castle has been preserved through restoration and structural upgrades. The signs in the castle described the central beam’s history as it was made from a single tree. Furthermore, I was intrigued by the military presence of the fort. There were chambers where warriors could hide and escape and the layout of the rooms in the main area created a perfect shooting space as the smoke would rise from the shooting area at the bottom of the room to the windows towering high above on the walls. This is not surprising considering the castle’s history where it was originally used as a fortress and continued to house up to 500 samurai soldiers. 

We climbed over 10 flights of stairs

This shows a door at the bottom for weapons to be used and windows up top to clear smoke from the weapons

Himeji Castle (photo credit: Mingyang (April) Li)

After exploring, we had some free time. We saw the Okiku Well and chose to participate
in the wish-making process by tossing a ¥100 coin into the well and praying for a wish.
This was a reminder of traditional Japanese culture and tradition. Afterwards, we enjoyed
some sun in one of the shaded bench areas next to the Sannomaru Remains. 

Participating in the tradition of making a wish at Okiku Well

Taking a break in the sun

I explored one of the neighboring Senhime Botan Garden on my own. While wandering, I
passed some older adults who smiled warm-heartedly. In the spring, both the castle and
the surrounding area will become a main tourist attraction and a home to a beautiful scene
of cherry blossoms (which reminded me of the infamous UW quad).

Senhime Botan Garden

Centerpiece of garden

After visiting the castle, we packed up and finished our Shinkansen journey to Kyoto. After
checking into our hostel, we had the rest of the night to ourselves for reflection and rest. In
light of the reflection topic today regarding Japan’s traditions in shaping national identity I felt
that the visit to Himeji Castle aided in our understanding of the topic. Himeji Castle shows that
traditions and traditional architecture can still be retained despite modern restoration and
touch-ups. Japan’s national identity is constantly changing, but Japan’s culture and formation of
natural identity will continue to contain elements of tradition.

Manhole cover decoration noticed by Andrea Gonzalez

Group photo in front of Himeji Castle!