Walking bare foot inside this magnificent 17th century castle had me instantly transported to a time gone by, that or a samurai period drama. The stunning all-white structure pictured above is the pristine Himeii Castle in Japan, the country's first UNESCO listed sight and a registered national treasure.

Given these impressive titles to its name, it's understandable that we stopped by for a quick visit on our way from Kyoto to Miyajima where we were staying overnight. It only takes about 1 hour from Kyoto to Himeji on train and all you need to cover the castle and grounds are about 2-3 hours. This makes it the perfect halfway break to Miyajima which is a further 2 hours from Himeji. 

Once you hop off the train, it's hard to miss this impressive creation, not only because it looms from above the dozens of cherry blossom trees but also thanks to the steady stream of people heading to pay it a visit. The walk is flat and easy and takes about 10-15 minutes but there is also a loop bus available for those who need it.

After exploring the castle's simple (but no less impressive) wooden interior, we explored the grounds and spotted a temple tea ceremony. If you've read my earlier Kyoto post, you may have picked up on my love for this cultural tradition so given it was only 500 yen, it was an easy choice to give it another go.

To our surprise, this temple variation was quite different in its process and we were given tea and a sweet snack without any guided demonstration. But at only 500 yen, it was good value for money. Just don't consider this a fair substitute to a proper tea ceremony demonstration.