My Best Autumn EVER at Himeji

Spent 3 days and 2 nights in Himeji with M and got to see some of the best that fall in japan has to offer. we took the shinkansen which got us into the white castle city just after 1 in the afternoon. we ditched our bags at the hotel and went out to see Himeji Castle.


it's beautiful! and HUGE. check it out!




And the foliage surrounding the castle was awesome.



The castle had all these iron family crests all over. they were the crests of the different families that resided there. very cool.


View from the top!

This courtyard (Harakiri Maru) was apparently where the samurai committed seppuku (ritualistic suicide). they say they washed the blood and the heads with the water from the well.

This is Okiku's well. There is a ghost story called Banshu Sara-Yashiki about a servant girl who learned of a plot to kill the lord and informed him that his chief retainer was trying to kill him. She saved the lord's life so the chief retainer guy took revenge on her by stealing one of the 10 treasured dishes and blaming it on her. Okiku was tortured to death and thrown into this well. legend has it that she walks the grounds at night counting the plates. creepy.


The sun set and we were kicked off the grounds but we were invited to go to Kokoen located right next to the castle. The Japanese love their fall colors and kokoen was doing a special night tree light up thing so we went to go check that out. the colors were so beautiful! a tad on the romantic side (lots of couples) but still nice:






The next day we decided to go up Mt. Shosha and see Engyoji, the big ass temple seen most recently in Ken Watanabe's The Last Samurai. there was supposed to be a ropeway thing that took us up the mountain but it was closed. Lucky for me since i was itching for a hike (living in tokyo does that to you). it was a very steep climb up and i lost my camera case, extra battery, and my handkerchief somewhere on the mountain. but we also took heaps of great photos and made some new friends with the olds that were also making the climb.


entrance to the temple grounds:


view of the path:

this is Maniden, one of many temples . it features a big stage like balcony. this was very impressive:





here are the 3 main structures, Jogyodo (where the priests practice Zazen), Jikodo (the dormitory -- the last of its kind in Japan), and Daikodo (the main temple):




This is Kaizando where they conduct services every morning and evening:



One very STEEP hike back down the mountain and another hour bus ride out of town and we got to our super spiffy ryokan. it was pricey but worth it: big fluffy futon, awesome crab dinner, and an onsen to die for. ah, relaxation.

until that fucking 7:30 am breakfast call. damn. so much for sleeping in. but i got to resoak in the onsen after breaky and had a short nap before heading out. on our last day, we did some souvenir and gift shopping. check out this match display! pretty cool hun?


We also got to enjoy some softserve despite the cold. this place had more icecream flavors than i'd ever seen before!


afterwards, we revisited Kokoen for anago lunch and a look at the park during the day:




Now you know why fall is my favorite season!

Fortune Cookie-esque

Sometimes, it takes losing someone or something to really find yourself. Hang in there.

Halloween, Culture Day, and Waseda Festival

Post HK, it was work work work and Halloween! We had our annual Halloween Gumbo party (and yes, the landlady hates us again) complete with costumes, games, scary movies, and heaps of candy. t's was pouring rain so a few people refused to dress up but there was a good showing by a few of our regulars which livened the party quite a bit.




As for me, i got my headpiece in HK but with a few borrowed items, i think i was able to claim the scariest-back-of-the-head prize:


Hey, at least people weren't screaming from looking at the front.

The saturday after was the 3rd of November, also known as Culture day in Japan. This is the only holiday i like to venture out into the hoards becuase at Meiji Shrine, they have all kinds of Japanese cultural stuff going on.

There was traditional music:


The entrance of the shrine had chrysanthamums on display:


There was a shinto service and Noh dancing. After the service, the clergymen filed out:


And of course, my favorite part, the martial arts display:


There were swords:

there were sticks:

And even bigger sticks:

And bows and arrows:

And my personal favorite, Yabusame!

and in the far fields, they had food tents and other cultural things like the exploding sweet puffed rice thing and . . .

Mochi making


and the boat made of domestically grown veggies:

The weather cleared up too, making it a fantastic day to be outside. It was so much fun!

The next day was the big Waseda University Festival. It is unlike anything they have in the US. this is not homecoming or anything like that. it's like a massive 2 day pep rally where different school "clubs" can raise money by seeting up different booths. very interesting. and heaps of fun!

Mr. Waseda, i presume?

There was some pro wrestling:

I could not pass this sweet treat up!

Kids dressed like sushi:

And of course the cheerleaders (Dusty was SOOOO hapy!!):

Yosakoi, yosakoi!

D's friends Teriyuki and Taka with a new (cute) friend:

This guy was like Justin Timberlake's Dick in a box except he was Dick in a bowl of UFO instant ramen. too bad you can't see much below the belt........

D fulfills his fantasy of being the meat in a nurse and stewardess sandwich:

Snack anyone?