The White Heron Castle 【Beautiful Japan #27】
This is probably the most famous castle in Japan. Beautiful, isn't it?
Nicknamed the White Heron Castle, Himeji is one of the few original castles left in Japan. Apart the buildings beauty, it is much beloved for being an original.
Most of the other castles in this country are reconstructions. In the Meiji Era (1868–1912) the government was all about Westernizing the country as fast as possible†; castles were viewed as unwanted relics of the past and most were destroyed. After WWII the country realized their mistake and started rebuilding them; however, while the replicas often look great from the outside, inside they are usually lifeless concrete rooms that bear more in common with a 1950s office building than a Japanese castle.
In addition to being the most popular castle in this country, Himeji castle is often used as a stand-in for Edo castle in period pieces and sometimes other castles too. If you are of a certain age and watched the miniseries Shogun, they used Himeji castle as a substitute for Osaka castle.
A few months after I took this photo, the castle was closed for 5 years for cleaning. If you look at modern photos of it, it is even more white today!
Incidentally, entry into the castle is free on New Year's day every single year. This was taken bright and early on New Year's day. You can see hints of the New Year's sunrise, which is a special thing in Japan. Most people are at shrine on New Year's Day, so the typical tourist crowds are always much less. It's a good time to go.
This is my entry for #travelphotography in @juliank 's daily photo contest. If you have any good phones, go enter yourself!
Footnotes:
†: At least the early Meiji Era. Towards the end this attitude started to change, leading into the uber-nationalism of Imperial Japan.
Don't miss the other great photos in the Beautiful Japan photo series!
#1–10 Beautiful Japan Collection
#11 - What a Blur
#12 - The Watcher at the Shrine
#13 - Giant Torii in Road
#14 - Resting Leaves
#15 - The Family that Drinks Together, Stays Together
#16 - Fire in the Sky
#17 - The Streets of Takayama
#18 - Red Path
#19 - Fading Japan
#20 - Relaxing at the River
#21 - Traditional Japanese Gate and Garden
#22 - Daruma-san Korokoro
#23 - Weeping Temple
#24 - Ready for Liftoff
#25 - Pounding the Taiko Drum
#26 - Good Luck Cranes
Thank you for reading. :)
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 | David LaSpina is an American photographer lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time. |
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The white version I liked more. It is more easy. Although , perhaps a dark roof is traditionally the architecture of the time. Thanks for the interesting story.
I think that just shows how dirty it had become over the years. The funny thing is when I took that first photo, I remember thinking how white the castle was. Then after they cleaned it I was blown away at how much more white it had become.
Thanks for reading :)