Day 14

Another great day in Kobe!  Today we took it easy and explored a little on our own.  The first thing we explored was a coin laundry, because our suitcases just weren't big enough to carry three week's worth of clothing haha.  What a mundane thing, but it was really exciting for us!  We had breakfast in our little coin laundry, it was really delicious.

Then it was off to see a real sight!  Himeji Castle was just a hop and a skip away on the Shinkansen bullet train, which was clean and convenient.  Can't wait to take that again tomorrow to our next destination.  Exiting the train station, you can see the castle right ahead, so it was impossible to get lost.  There were even sculptures on the street along the way to make things more pleasant.

(pictured above: we could tell the rain was coming but had no idea it would be so intense)

When we got to Himeji Castle it was beautiful!  Japanese castles are built with such a different structural sense than European ones (obviously), so it was great to finally see one up close.  We walked around outside in the rain a little and took pictures before heading inside.  The courtyards leading up to the main keep funnel you back and forth up slopes and steps that were impossible to navigate if you weren't on foot.  

Entering the castle we were prompted to remove our shoes and bag them up along with our umbrellas.  Once inside this made total sense, since the floors are all original wood and the water would have been damaging.  Not only that, but going up and down the tiny yet incredibly steep stairs would have gotten dangerous in slippery shoes!  What an experience to walk through a restored castle in socks and bare feet though.  Inside we saw a lot of amazing things, like slots used to throw rocks at invaders and hidden cabinets for samurai to ambush people from.  At the top on the fifth floor there was a shrine and a wonderful view of the city and castle below.  

With the castle visited, we had to get out of the rain, which was now coming down pretty hard.  We found a little cafe in a strip mall and ate a delicious waffle!  The waffles here and in Taipei have been delicious.  10/10 would eat again.

To finish off our food blogging for the day, we returned to the lovely little cafe that saved us on our first night in Kobe.  The ladies there were happy to see us again, and we were delighted to try more of their awesome food!  Omelette Yakisoba (fried noodles) and "healthy tofu" were our picks for the evening, along with more of the sweet sesame dessert.  What a great place, if you're ever in Kobe check it out!