Himeji Castle

We took a trip to see what we could see of Himeji Castle.  It's been under renovation since 2010, as part of the upkeep of this World Heritage Site.  I personally think it is the most beautiful of the castles I've seen here.  When we got near the place, this is what we saw:

The building has been wrapped with its image on cloth for the last four years, so to see this beautiful building now was breathtaking.  The previous roof was black tile; now it looks white because of the new plaster added.  The public cannot go into this part of the castle until 3/27/15, but we did tour some of the West Bailey.  It is one long corridor with rooms off of it that wraps around part of the grounds.  The displays tell the history of Himeji castle.

This is another view from inside the castle walls.  It is such a beautiful place and to think that the original has been around since the early 1600's when there were no heavy-duty machines to lift all the rocks in place.  It is a marvel to man's ingenuity.