It is nearly 20 years ago, but returning to my old hometown of Himeji today, it could have been just yesterday that I arrived as a young assistant language teacher with the JET program. Mind you, with the World Heritage listed Himeji Castle undergoing massive restoration and being shrounded in a white cloth, things weren't entirely the same...We had two wonderful volunteer English speaking guides to show us around the grounds of Himeji Castle and then take us up to the observation deck, which has been specifically constructed to cater for the tourists during this restoration period. Our two guides had amazing knowledge of not only the castle, but the general history of the area and kept us entertained with various stories and historical tales. Returning to the entrance at the end of the tour we were greeted by the one and only Ouchi-sensei. Many of you would be familiar with this wonderful Professor from University of Hyogo, who has such a strong bond of friendship with Western Australia. I should have known that no visit to Himeji could take place without a special welcome and greeting from him! Following our castle tour we walked to neighbouring Kokoen where we enjoyed a beautiful lunch of Anago (salt water eel), which is Himeji's speciality. From there we headed to the tea ceremony house and enjoyed traditional tea and sweets while enjoying the gorgeous Japanese garden surrounds. But what about the shopping?, I hear you say! It is true. Someone...(yes, me - sorry!!) made the schedule so tight and tried to include so many exeriences that there is minimal time for shopping. However, knowing that samurai sword chopsticks were in high demand, (they are very cool), we power walked to a nearby souvenir shop where we were able to spend a few minutes buying omiyage. However, time was pressing and there was still much to be done, so we jumped back on the bus and headed towards Engyoji Temple where we had the opportunity to walk the same ground on which Tom Cruise stood when he filmed The Last Samurai. Of course this meant more to some of us than others... Ahhh.. the end of yet another exciting day, but quite tiring as there was a quite a workout involved with lots of uphill walking. Should we be sensible people and have an early night ready for the program ahead? Don't be silly!! We had karaoke to do! I must confess I was impressed with the Team's determination to press ahead with karaoke at the end of the long day, but the general consensus was that we were in Japan and it simply had to be done. Congrats to all for your fantastic efforts and a particular Otsukaresamadeshita to Shingo, who somehow managed to keep the drinks order flowing, enter the song requests, and belt out a few impressive numbers himself while all us Aussies just kept yelling demands at him. As for me, it is 4 days in and I am now hanging out for my first onsen on Thursday evening in Arima. I'll let you know how it goes!
It is nearly 20 years ago, but returning to my old hometown of Himeji today, it could have been just yesterday that I arrived as a young assistant language teacher with the JET program. Mind you, with the World Heritage listed Himeji Castle undergoing massive restoration and being shrounded in a white cloth, things weren't entirely the same...We had two wonderful volunteer English speaking guides to show us around the grounds of Himeji Castle and then take us up to the observation deck, which has been specifically constructed to cater for the tourists during this restoration period. Our two guides had amazing knowledge of not only the castle, but the general history of the area and kept us entertained with various stories and historical tales. Returning to the entrance at the end of the tour we were greeted by the one and only Ouchi-sensei. Many of you would be familiar with this wonderful Professor from University of Hyogo, who has such a strong bond of friendship with Western Australia. I should have known that no visit to Himeji could take place without a special welcome and greeting from him! Following our castle tour we walked to neighbouring Kokoen where we enjoyed a beautiful lunch of Anago (salt water eel), which is Himeji's speciality. From there we headed to the tea ceremony house and enjoyed traditional tea and sweets while enjoying the gorgeous Japanese garden surrounds. But what about the shopping?, I hear you say! It is true. Someone...(yes, me - sorry!!) made the schedule so tight and tried to include so many exeriences that there is minimal time for shopping. However, knowing that samurai sword chopsticks were in high demand, (they are very cool), we power walked to a nearby souvenir shop where we were able to spend a few minutes buying omiyage. However, time was pressing and there was still much to be done, so we jumped back on the bus and headed towards Engyoji Temple where we had the opportunity to walk the same ground on which Tom Cruise stood when he filmed The Last Samurai. Of course this meant more to some of us than others... Ahhh.. the end of yet another exciting day, but quite tiring as there was a quite a workout involved with lots of uphill walking. Should we be sensible people and have an early night ready for the program ahead? Don't be silly!! We had karaoke to do! I must confess I was impressed with the Team's determination to press ahead with karaoke at the end of the long day, but the general consensus was that we were in Japan and it simply had to be done. Congrats to all for your fantastic efforts and a particular Otsukaresamadeshita to Shingo, who somehow managed to keep the drinks order flowing, enter the song requests, and belt out a few impressive numbers himself while all us Aussies just kept yelling demands at him. As for me, it is 4 days in and I am now hanging out for my first onsen on Thursday evening in Arima. I'll let you know how it goes!
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