As I mentioned in the previous posts, many of Japan's sights are historic. Unfortunately, many of these sights went through tough times and thus equally many of them are reconstructions. And while these reconstructions are still nice (Todaiji, for example), it's hard to beat something that's actually lasted. Himeji Castle is one such sight- a castle that's lasted more or less intact until now.
Like pretty much all castles, this was constructed in a time when enemy attacks were a real and common threat, so the castle construction reflects this. While the main entrance is reasonable straight forward, the inner paths (above) quickly become a spiralling maze designed to force intruders into sudden dead ends so they can be conveniently attacked through "hidden attack holes" in the walls. Of course, the tour route follows a specific path but you do often find yourself wondering if you've walked a certain area before or come around a corner only to notice you've ended up behind where you were 5 minutes ago.
The tour route starts from the outside and winds through some of the outer walls before finally ending up at the main keep. While it's a bit hard to see in the picture, it's rather cramped and many of the overhangs are quite low as you make your way across. However, the priority was on defensive ability, not luxurious livability, and a peep through those number attack holes show a good view of the outer area. One thing I noticed throughout the castle was that the staircases are REALLY steep... like really... I suppose it makes sense in a small space, but I can't imagine it be very easy (or fast) to climb 65 degree slopes wearing armour...
The closer you get the more impressive the castle becomes as everything from the gleaming white walls (the castle's also known as Hakurojo, or White Heron Castle) to the intricate detailing on the roofs. Also of interest is that despite the castle looking like it has 5 floors, it actually has 6 with another floor like a basement in that stone foundation. Lastly, while temples aim for aesthetics with their roof corners lining up perfectly, each floor is actually slightly offset for what I can only assume is a better defensive view...
Inside the castle, you're greeted by a very traditionally feeling space, what with the dim floors, the creaking wood, and the surprising breeziness of the whole place. However, it's been thoroughly renovated into a one-way tour route up and down all the floor. And while they've placed lots of memorabilia and artifacts from the castle's era, make sure not to get so caught up that you forget to enjoy the simple but functional construction of the whole castle interior.
Of course, this is a castle lived in by important people, so it's not all counter-attacks and sight-lines. There are lots of amenities for the royalty living there... like a sink... well, I suppose life back in the day wasn't the quite the same heh... but as you can see above, there are other details like this sample of various crest tiles used in the castle's constant updating as various owners improved it.
The castle really is beautiful and while many of the outer moats have been destroyed or reclaimed for the sake of an ever growing city, the actual castle and main area itself has remained. Knowing that certainly makes it just that slight bit more impressive and there are lots of intricate details as you walk around, such as an area specifically for committing ritual suicide or the "fan"-like curve to some of the stone walls to prevent intruders from scaling them.
The day after (Friday May 22), I headed off to Osaka, despite the recent spat of swine flu scares, which is home to one of the world's largest aquariums. There's also Osaka castle but having been to a castle the day before and it was raining the day I was in Osaka, so I headed for the aquarium. It does cost a rather unbelievable 2000yen to get in, but it does claim to hold quite a lot of rare and special animals in its 16 tanks. So once you've grimaced and paid the entry fee, you walk through the entrance tunnel (above) containing a small sample of things to come. Also in the picture above is a diver using a hose to clean the tank and divers are found in various tanks all day long keeping things looking... underwater-y =P... 
The entire aquarium is based on various environments from the Ring Of Fire found in the Pacific Ocean. The route opens with a short walk through a tropical forest and then quickly gets into the tanks. And nothing gets guests excited as much as penguins, so the Antarctic tank is one of the first ones you reach.
The entire route also takes you up to the highest floor first and then winds its way down amongst all the tanks. This means guests can see the same tank but from 3 or 4 different angles and depths, so while you can watch penguins preening themselves in the upper most level, a few floors down you can watch them swim.
Then there's also the dolphin tank. This one deserves two pictures mainly because it was so incredibly hard to shoot swimming dolphins. I mean, shooting race cars is easy because they're so predictable but dolphins?? And they're really fast considering you're only a few feet away, so panning with them is extra hard... I don't think I've had so many failed shots before heh...
Further down is the Great Barrier Reef tank which is filled with colour. The displays are quite good about labelling the kinds of fish in the tank, but sometimes it's just nice to step back and admire the scene as a whole...
The aquarium's biggest tank is their Pacific Ocean tank (which famously touts its largest sheet of acrylic glass as requiring 1.5 times the normal annual production of acrylic) which has manta rays. I've never seen a manta ray. I've also never seen a manta ray (or any ray) do backflips... it turns out, however, this one had a sharksucker stuck pretty much to the top of its "head", which explains it...
But the crown jewel of the aquarium is its two whale sharks, Dai and Kai. Whale sharks are the largest fish in the world and the way the tank is set up (with other fish swimming around) really exaggerates its size. These, however, just swim lazily around the tank making much easier to shoot... actually, that's partly a lie because they're still difficult to shoot but mostly because they're almost always too big for the frame...
Hello Mr. Green Seaturtle. I should also mention that my new Minolta lens came in VERY handy at the aquarium because the huge aperture meant I could take shots in little to no light at acceptable shutter speeds. The down side is the severely limited depth of field but with a bit of tweaking and careful focusing, it worked out just fine.
This giant spider crab came from the tank replicating the deep trenches around Japan. And towards the end of the tour, they have more interactive exhibits such as ones where you can touch rays and sharks.
Anyway, the aquarium is a great place to check out if you're in Osaka, though I wouldn't really recommend going from Tokyo just to see it (unless you have a Rail Pass). Just make sure to budget enough time (2.5-3hrs) so that you can slowly make your way through the tanks and really take in all that the place has to offer, as many of the best sights are hiding behind rocks or in dark corners.
I'm taking today off but tomorrow I plan to head to Kanazawa, which has one of Japan's most beautiful landscape gardens, a modern art museum, and a ninja temple!! This is me being multi-interested heh.... I'll leave you with a few more shots of the aquarium.
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