Kyoto Day Trips: Himeji Castle and Princess Sin

Before even seeing the old castle, we heard stories about its history and got the feeling that there was something unique going on behind the white walls. For those who haven’t heard the stories, Himeji is Japan’s oldest remaining castle that hasn’t been touched by war, fire and earthquakes. During World War II, the Himeji area along with the rest of Japan was heavily fire bombed. The area surrounding the castle was completely destroyed and a bomb did land on the castle itself, but it did not explode. After learning this, you start to think that there’s something special looking out for this old keep.

Then, you learn that Himeji castle withstood a record breaking earthquake in the 1950s. Again, the entire area around the castle was destroyed, but not one building inside the keep fell. If you bother looking further into the castle’s history, you will, also, learn that Himeji Castle has never once been locally attacked or under siege since it was constructed 500 years ago. By this time, your original inclination that something is looking out for this castle is confirmed and you start to wonder how many bodies are buried under the foundation. Just kidding, this isn’t Europe after all.

Upon actually seeing the castle, you start to understand some of the structure's good fortune. Put simply, it is very well built. The fortress is firmly positioned upon a hill that gives a clear view of the surrounding area. Like any good feudal castle, it also comes standard with overlapping guard walls, archery cubbies, iron gates and varying moats. It’s definitely enough to give any would-be attacker pause.



On top of which, anyone trying to storm the keep would have had a hard time burning their way through. The keep’s walls are covered in plaster. While this material does burn, it doesn’t go up in flames nearly as fast as bare wooden walls, which is what most other historic Japanese castles are made of. It never happened, but a hypothetical attacker would have quickly learned that there are easier walls to breach.

In contrast, today, it’s quite easy to explore the inside of Himeji castle. That’s right. They let you inside. They even let you go all the up to the sixth and tallest floor of the keep. There’s just one thing: You have to take off your shoes, which is fine. Just be careful not to fall. The wooden floors of the castle are worn shiny and smooth from heavy foot traffic, making it all too easy to slip and slide around in sock feet. Yeah, that happened. More importantly, it happened in a 500-year-old castle, which is just awesome.

Apart from the temptation to go skating across the castle floors, the inside of the keep is surprisingly warm and inviting. The space is softly lit by a spattering of tiny windows and the smell of well-oiled wood follows you as you make your way to the top of the keep. On your way up the flights of stairs (being very careful not to slip on the steps), you realize even more that this structure was designed to accommodate soldiers and serve as a last stand. Each floor is designed with a trap ceiling and the inner rooms of the keep were all used as armories. You can still the ancient hooks on the walls where weapons were once stored. That said, soldiers stationed at the keep didn’t really have that much to do. I imagine all those weapons were really shiny.

From what I understand, majority of the soldiers actually lived in the keep’s fortifying walls. A portion of these are also open to the public. The old wooden rooms in the walls now serve as a makeshift museum, displaying artifacts and teaching tourists about the history of the castle. This is where you learn about the transformation of the castle from a small wooden building on a hill into a six-storied keep, as well as about Princess Sin. Every good castle has a princess story and Himeji does not disappoint.

The story begins with the princess’s first wedding. After her marriage, Princess Sin and her husband moved to Osaka castle. Unfortunately, Osaka castle is not under the same powers of protection as Himeji keep. Shortly after their wedding, the castle was seized and Princess Sin’s husband died defending it. (In Japanese history, he is portrayed as the ultimate Black Fish.) With help, his wife was able to sneak away and escape back to Himeji. She was escorted home by a feudal lord who commanded a large fleet of ships.

The story goes that Princess Sin fell in love with the lord on her journey home and married him while still at sea. So, you see, fairy tales do happen and the couple lived happily ever after at Himeji for a few years at least. You’re about to learn why most fairy tales end after the wedding.

With her second husband, Princess Sin bore both a son and daughter. Her son fell ill and died young. After which, the princess suffered through a consistent string of miscarriages and still births. In response to this, Princess Sin drowned her grief in religion. She prayed, prostrated and had many shrines built. As a reward for her efforts, Princess Sin’s husband fell ill and died and early death. The princess never bore another healthy child.

At this, a person of less strength and character would have turned on their religion, but not Princess Sin. She cut her hair, changed her name and left Himeji to live out her life as a Buddhist nun. She wasn’t blessed with an early death either. The princess would carry her loss until she died of ripe old age in her seventies. Are you crying yet? This is not the story I had signed up for when starting to read about a happy little girl who lived in Himeji. Give me my $1,000 back!  (I’m kidding, kind of.)

It does cost $1,000 JPY ($10 USD) to tour the keep. Apparently, they charge $200 per century. The castle is open from nine to five every day, except for two days in December, the 29th and 30th. It does not close for national holidays and you don’t have to worry about organizing your trip around its hours. Located about an hour from Kyoto, Himeji castle is also very easy to get to. Try to leave around nine in the morning and reserve your seat on a Hikari train in advance. You can do this at any JR station. It does not have to be in Kyoto. If visiting the castle on a weekday, you can wait and purchase you return ticket on the fly from Himeji station. However, if you’re visiting on a weekend or holiday, it is recommended that you collect these in advance as well. Allow at least five hours to tour the castle and grab something to eat. So, if you arrive in Himeji at ten, book your return ticket for three in the afternoon. If you want to explore the actual town, add another hour or two to your trip.

From the train station exit, you can’t miss the castle. It’s literally straight ahead and looming over you. You certainly don’t have to worry about getting lost. Though, I’m sure some people still manage to.  If you want extra protection against getting lost or are just tired of walking everywhere, there is an inexpensive loop bus that runs every ten minutes between the station and castle. To save time, we took the bus down, and then walked back. At a casual stroll, it took about half an hour to reach the station.

One last thing, eat at the restaurants located across from the palace. When you get hungry (and you will), these shops offer a delicious variety of katsu, curry and other Japanese favorites. More than likely, you’ll be back in Kyoto in time for dinner.

Next to Hiroshima and Miyajima, Himeji castle was one of our most memorable experiences in Japan. On the train ride down, we didn’t know what to expect. Honestly, we thought it would be a little lackluster and small. The white castle couldn’t possibly be as beautiful as the postcards made it out to be. We couldn’t have been more wrong. Physically, Himeji castle exceeded our expectations and its colorful history captured our imaginations. I’m so glad to have stood beneath the castle's white walls before its luck runs out. It’s bound to happen sooner or later.