Himeji Castle

Spread over a hill that climbs up from the plain, Himeji Castle with its white walls shimmering in the sunlight like the feathers of a fantastic bird seems to be rising into the blue sky like a great heron. This impression has given it the name Castle of the White Heron. The castle, which has nothing martial about it, on the contrary, it is extraordinarily elegant, is undoubtedly one of Japan's most impressive fortresses. It was built between 1601 and 1609, when the period of war was almost...