Himeji Castle and the Hot Spring Shrouded in Mystery

OK, the title may not exactly live up to the reality, but you have to admit it was kinda cool.

First stop on the weekend trip: Himeji Castle. After about 2 or 3 hours in a car with absolutely no suspension (I was sleeping while listening to music so I don't really remember exactly how long) we arrived. It was big. And made of rocks. Very big, not to mention tall. Every door was way too short for me. Yet the castle was incredibly beautiful and the surroundings were amazing. It was a typical Japanese style: the fusion of serene nature and pleasant/amazing architecture.

Next we went to a place where natural whirlpools occurred. It was cool initially, but after an hour it got a bit boring.

After that we drove to the hotel, which was the highlight of the trip. More specifically, it was the hot springs. As most of you know, you do have to go into them armed only with an teeny towel. Luckily, I don't really care. These were the best containers of hot water that you sit in/wade in that I've ever been in. First you wash yourself outside the hot spring, then into the inside pool. It's exactly the right temperature. Then into the outside hot spring, where steam is rising off the surface of the water into the cool night air. The pool is illuminated by a few small lights and, of course, the moon. There is also a small zen garden surrounding the hot spring, very beautiful. The cold air and the hot spring was an amazing experience. For dinner that night we had really good French food, but it was a tiny bit Japanese influenced (which, in my humble opinion, made it better).

The next day was pretty uneventful except for going to Kobe, walking all around looking at cool shops, eating ramen from a booth with an incredibly long line in Chinatown, and more long car rides.

Today was just another day of school. Although I had P.E. for the first time since the end of January, not very surprising that I couldn't run the mile faster than 8 minutes (not a full mile, 1.5 km, 1 mile = 1.6 km). Other than that, I've just been having fun doing the usual things. Sleep is now my number 1 priority.

Ja ne.