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4/29/2005, Mom trip day 3: Himeji castle, Sumiyoshitaisha (shrine), Akemi's parents
Tour of Himeji Castle
One of my co-workers, Mr. Takei, took us for a personal tour of Himeji Castle. Himeji is near Aioi (where I live), about 20 minutes by train. Mr. Takei volunteers at the castle as a tour guide. He knows the history of the castle, the Himeji area, and Japan in general very well. He can answer any question in as much (or as little) detail as you'd like.
 | Mr. Takei and me in front of the castle. (HQ) |
 | My mom and me in front of the castle. (HQ) |
 | Pretty flowers near the castle. (HQ) |
 | A roof cap. (HQ) |
 | Looking out over Himeji from inside the castle. (HQ) |
 | Looking out over Himeji from inside the castle. (HQ) |
 | Looking out over Himeji from inside the castle. |
 | Some geishas that just happened to be on hand. (HQ) |
Sumi-yoshi-taisha Shrine in Osaka
In the afternoon, we met Akemi and her father in Osaka, near Tennoji. Her father drove us to Sumi-yoshi-taisha Shrine and showed us around.
 | Akemi and me outside the shrine. My mom liked these stone things behind us. (HQ) |
 | My mom and me in the same spot. |
 | A view of the scenery near the shrine. (HQ) |
 | A view of the scenery near the shrine. (HQ) |
 | I don't remember the significance of the rope around this tree, but I think it had some purpose. (HQ) |
 | A place for washing hands near the shrine. (HQ) |
 | A building that is part of the shrine. (HQ) |
 | A building that is part of the shrine. (HQ) |
 | A building that is part of the shrine. (HQ) |
 | The three of us in the middle of it all. |
 | Can somebody remind me what these are? (HQ) |
 | My mom bought a fortune written on a piece of paper. Here she is tying it into a group of them in a central location. They'll be burned later. |
 | Another stone structure at the shrine. (HQ) |
 | This bridge is one of the trademark features of this shrine. (HQ) |
 | There are turtles in the stream that runs below it. (HQ) |
 | Apparently, some Shintos believe that this horse can relay messages from God. (HQ) |
 | My mom is enjoying the experience very much. |
 | My mom found an amusing resemblence between this white dog and the white horse before. (HQ) |
 | The whole area is beautiful. (HQ) |
Dinner with Akemi's parents
After the shrine, we all went to Akemi's parents' house. Her mom made us a wonderful dinner. Egg pudding (chawan-mushi), deep fried tofu (agedofu), salmon, sushi, and more. (Mom, Akemi, do you remember anything else?) Her parents really laid out the red carpet. We had a wonderful time.
Note: Photos marked with "(HQ)" were taken by my mom.
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