my parents and my aunt are here in osaka and staying with me at the moment, which is the reason why i havent had much time to blog despite having gone to quite a few places recently..
the last weekend was a long one, with monday having been the "respect for the aged day". it's rather amusing to have such a holiday, but i guess in a country with so many old folk... you wouldnt think that japan has an ageing population looking at the people on the street in the places i've been to though, because there are SO many children around! especially on weekends, everywhere i've been to has been full of young kids and babies! that's mostly because the old are all left in the countryside and outlying prefectures though, but honestly.. a visitor to osaka would never be able to imagine - i cant - just how bad the problem of the ageing population is over here.
anyway, saturday was spent in himeji, which is in hyogo prefecture (home to kobe too). it's just about 1hr away from osaka station, and is home to what's is described as one of the most beautiful castles in japan:
it's known as the "white heron" because it apparently looks like a heron in flight.. i think the imagery is a bit far fetched, but it does look really grand when seen rising above the traffic and surrounding vegetation:
i love the way the area looks:
my aunt and parents:
this fish charm is meant to ward off fire and disaster:
in the next two pictures you can see the castle walls and the surrounding town beyond.. it's quite amazing a sight!
i have such nice legs here cos i was leaning against the statue:
the tourist information office:
there's a beautiful garden just next to the castle called Kokoen (好古園）that will look even better when the autumn colours are in full glory:
we had matcha and japanese sweets..
himeji is really nice! would be great to go back again in early nov when autumn is in full swing!
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