Himeji Castle

Himeji Castle is in Japan, a country in Asia.

It sits on top of a hill in the city of Himeji. Its walls are white. Its gray roofs curve up at the edges.

Himeji Castle sits on a hilltop in the middle of a plain, in the city of Himeji in western Japan. Its tall main keep, the central tower, can be seen from almost anywhere in the city.

The castle is mostly made of wood. Its walls are made of earth and covered with white plaster, a smooth coating. Because of its white walls, it is nicknamed Shirasagi-jo, the White Heron Castle. In December 1993, Himeji Castle and the temple of Horyu-ji in Nara became Japan's first World Cultural Heritage Sites.

The castle stands on a hill summit in the central Harima Plain, in Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture, an area UNESCO describes as an important transportation hub in western Japan since ancient times. The protected property, 107 hectares, almost matches the castle grounds, divided into an inner and an outer walled zone and bounded, except in the southeast, by the moats of the outer zone.

UNESCO calls it a masterpiece of construction in wood whose white plastered earthen walls earned it the name Shirasagi-jo, White Heron Castle, and whose layered roofs are visible from almost any point in the city. Himeji City notes that in December 1993 it became, with Horyu-ji in Nara, one of Japan's first two World Cultural Heritage Sites. Its buildings are protected as National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties, and the grounds as a Special Historic Site.

The tallest tower is the main keep. You climb steep stairs to reach the top.

Inside, the floors are wooden. Visitors take off their shoes!

The main keep is the castle's tallest building. Inside, visitors climb steep stairs under low ceilings to reach the top floor, where the view stretches over the city. The floors are wooden, so visitors must take off their outdoor shoes.

The Western Bailey, like the main keep, has survived in its old form, and its buildings give clues about life in Japan in the time of the lords. The Hishi-mon, or Water Chestnut Gate, has fancy decorated windows, which are rare in castles. At night, the castle is lit up in white.

The official site warns that reaching the main keep is like climbing a small mountain, that the keep and turrets have wooden floors where outdoor shoes are not allowed, and that wheelchairs cannot enter them. Visit Himeji describes the climb to the top floor by steep stairs under low ceilings, and notes that the Western Bailey (nishi no maru), like the main keep, survives intact and that its architectural details give clues to life in feudal Japan.

The Hishi-mon (Water Chestnut Gate) has ornate windows rarely found in castles. Since fire and earthquakes are the greatest risks, the buildings have automatic fire alarms, hydrants and lightning arresters, monitored by a disaster control center, and in 2006 the city set up an expert committee to plan seismic strengthening of the main donjon.

Workers clean and check the castle every day.

Sometimes they do big repairs, too. That keeps the castle safe and bright.

Keeping an old wooden castle in good shape takes constant care. Since 1934, experts have carried out a series of conservation projects using Japanese methods for looking after wooden buildings, with major work in the 1930s and in the 2000s.

The photo was taken in May 2015, with the walls bright white against a blue sky. UNESCO's record says the national government owns all the buildings, and the city of Himeji looks after them, with daily cleaning, inspections and care. Rules also protect the views of the castle: the city checks that new buildings along streets with views of it, and large projects nearby, fit in.

UNESCO records conservation projects since 1934 using Japanese techniques for wooden structures, with tight control on new materials; Visit Himeji names major restorations in the 1930s and the mid-2000s. Buildings added in the 19th and 20th centuries have been removed. The buildings and 107 hectares are protected under the 1950 Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties, and any alteration needs national approval.

The national government owns all the buildings and most of the land; Himeji City is the official custodian, through its Management Office for the Himeji-jo Area. In the 143-hectare buffer zone, a 1987 urban design ordinance, strengthened under the 2004 Landscape Law, requires the city to be told of projects along streets with views of the castle. The photo shows the castle in May 2015.