Himeji Castle

At the entrance to the castle

The castle seen from the grounds in front of the West Bailey

Inside the West Bailey, a long building shaped like a corridor with many rooms, where Princess Sen and her maids lived.

A sunken door in the West Bailey. In case of emergency, the door could be easily blocked form the inside, using the lateral stones.

Princess Sen's quarters, the Cosmetic Tower

Even in the castle grounds, the walls are thick and have holes for shooting.

One of the about fourteen gates or so you have to go through to get into the castle. A lot of them are tucked away in corners where you wouldn't think of looking.

Inside the castle proper, which was built as a fortress, many walls are lined with fire arms and bags of gunpowder.

The view from the top floor of the castle. That thing on the left is one of many amulets against fire.

When they took down the castle, they built this model of all the support beams, so they'd know how to reassemble it.

If you want to see more, you can take the this photo interactive tour.