On December 2nd, after a couple of days in Kyoto, I headed out on a train to Himeiji Castle on the way to Hiroshima. I only had two hours at Himeiji, but I was able to walk through the castle and had enough time to get my fill. The interior of the tower was genereally quite dark, but the third floor pictured here was more open and well lit. Some of the staircases were very steep, and a bit slick for my socks. Visitors need to talk off their shoes before going inside. They offer plasitc shopping bags to carry them through the castle, and slippers to wear while inside. Generally speaking, these slippers aren’t big enough for western male feel, and on these staircases, I think would have died trying to wear them.

Later that day, I arrived in Hiroshima and while wandering around looking for food stumbled upon some rather interesting light sculptures. There were quite a few people out with their kids. It’s always fun to try to take pictures at night. Here’s a castle, a tree, a bear, and some unrecognized critter.