Himeji Castle

I've been earmarking older studies that I'd like to showcase on the site.  This one went to the top of the pile.

This older watercolor sketch is from our trip to Japan back in '05. There are several towns near Tokyo that are great day trips out of the city, but Himeji Castle is a must if you want to see a real deal feudal castle. We toured several castles, temples,  gardens, etc., but they all feel the same after a while.  You start to get numb because you're trying to cram them all in one visit.  There were days when we saw 4-5 temples! I couldn't tell you the difference between Kinkaku-ji  and Ginkaku-ji if you paid me. 

Not so with Himeji.This castle sits on a large hill overlooking the city.  The main building rises several more stories and gives tremendous views of everything below. 

The view in the sketch is the exact opposite.  I can't imagine living there centuries ago knowing that the shogun had a bird eye view of all that you do.  Good thing we don't have to worry about that these days, right?

...oh, right.