After a jam-packed day taking in the sights at Awaji yumebutai, Naruto whirlpool cruise, Awaji Ningyo Joruri puppet theater, Awaji farm park and Kobe Shushinkan, two days later I accompanied the group on their trip to Himeji castle and Mt. Shosha.
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| Posing with the gate guards at Himeji Castle, the first stop of the day. |
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Our volunteer guide showed us around the entire castle.
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| With Himeji Castle currently under renovation, visitors are able to use an elevator to go all the way up to the roof. |
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| Here's the group trying out a tea ceremony at a tea house next to Himeji Castle. |
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| The tea house was right next to this great traditional garden. |
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| Finally, the group climbed Mt. Shosha in Himeji, home of the beautiful temple, Engyoji, which was the location of some the scenes in "Last Samurai" starring Tom Cruise. |
I was very happy to have had the opportunity to accompany the group on the Hyogo leg of their visit to Japan. Not only was it great to visit some of Hyogo's best attractions, some of which for the first time, I was very impressed with the group themselves, whose genuine interest in Japanese culture and language are a testament to the work of the Hyogo Prefectural Government Cultural Centre and the Hyogo-Western Australia relationship in general.
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