For the days in Osaka, I had planned to go sight seeing for every day. On the first day I went to the town Himeji, to see the castle and the mountain Shosha nearby. Going to Himeji by the shinkansen was easy and fast, but in Himeji itself I had some problems finding the right bus to the castle because the signs were not so clear at all.
In the end, I arrived at the castle. It was terribly hot, and I wandered around the castle grounds for a while. Unfortunately, it was really unclear whether one could go in or not, and if so, where the entrance was. I didn’t really feel comfortable asking anyone, so chicken-me only looked at the castle from the outside.
Then I went to Shosha-san by bus again. According to a description, Shoshasan is the site of Engyoji, an atmospheric temple complex with a history of over 1000 years. There are lots of temples and shrines scattered over the mountain. I had to ask around before I found the right bus terminal because there were two different companies and everybody was sending me somewhere else, but finally I found it. I went up with the ropeway, and then started to walk. The paths on the mountain were very steep, and the sun was way too bright.
The mountain had lots of great temples and other buildings. At at one of the temples, I was shown a very old statue of Buddha by the man working there, who was very enthusiastic to tell me about it, even though his English was limited. On top of the mountain were many statues, and I was amused by the ones that wore bibs. Apparently people believe they eat…
After I wandered around for three hours, looking at the buildings, temples and enjoying the view, I went back with the ropeway again. Two really nice Japanese ladies started to talk to me there then, and asked me questions and such. In the evening, I was totally sunburned and my skin was bright red. While I waited for my train at the station, an old man went all smart ass on me “atsui desu ne” (hot, isn’t it?) and pointed at my sunburned skin ._.
