January 14, 2024

Today we left Osaka.

We stayed in an AirBnB that was convenient and an old Japanese house. Two features that we did not think we should incorporate at home.

On the way out of Osaka we stopped at Mr. Donut for a bite for breakfast. It seemed vaguely familiar and does turn out to be the donut place I went as a kid in the 80s. Apparently most of the ones in US became Dunkin’ but it lives on overseas.

As we left Osaka, we decided to continue our comparative castle tour and check Himeji castle.

The castle was still close to original but had been restored many times. Apparently the white plaster must be done every 50 years or so. Lots of old wood and some new. The moat and grounds were some of the best we had seen.

It was a good lead up to the main keep with lots of tiny doors. Imagining trying to attack and it seemed like it would have been a challenge.

One interesting detail in all the castles and even the older houses we have been in, are the decorative nail covers. Keeps the nails hidden and things looking nice.

This castle more than others showed lots of signs that it was used to store a massive amount of weapons. The walls are covered with weapon racks for instance.

Apparently when building the castle they had trouble getting enough stone for the base. They even reused stone coffins that were from cemeteries that had been displaced.

On the way back to the train station we got some dried fruit from a Sunday market and then continued on to Hiroshima.

In Hiroshima we are working on finishing out our food tour and got to enjoy Yakiniku. Basically grilled meat. We found a Sizzler to enjoy. It was not like the Sizzler I went to growing up.

Side bar, 15 years ago was the only other time I had been to Asia and it was a work trip to Beijing. OneDrive just reminded me of some of the pictures I took and one of them was me noticing US restaurants. Funny that 15 years ago, I noted a Sizzler in Beijing.

After dinner we turned in and are looking forward to explore Hiroshima more tomorrow.