We booked a 290 sq ft non-smoking Standard Twin and were delighted to be
assigned a room on the 12th floor with a full view of the castle out the window.
The room also comes with a low coffee table, a couch, and an ottoman stool so that we have
enough space to enjoy food bought from Sanyo Department Store or other shops.

Views of the castle from our room window.
The castle is illuminated after dark (in the lower half of the photo.)

And the illumination may change color too.

After settling in our hotel room, MC volunteered to buy food to bring back to the room.
The first stop was to a 魚板專賣店 called Yamasa Kamaboko (ヤマサ蒲鉾) on the Otemae-dori.
Top row from left: Scallop & Onion, Crab meat sticks, and Shrimp & Vegetable.

Then to the Sanyo Department Store's food hall to buy rice with mushroom and grilled chicken skewers.
Yamasa Kamaboko also has a stall in Sanyo's food hall; the burdock nigiri and the vegetable nigiri were all delicious.
We knew from past experience that those ingredient mixed with vegetables usually tasted better than without.
In hindsight, a visit to Sanyo's food hall would allow me to acquire everything I desired.
There was no need to make a separate stop at the Yamasa Kamaboko store on Otemae-dori.
(Why did the vendor call them にぎり, nigiri? Nigiri is 握り, which means "hand-shaped" or "formed by hands".)

Then the dessert of red bean Taiko Manju (太鼓饅頭) from a stall that makes them.

And some Japanese mandarin oranges called mikan.
The skins were very thin and the fruit was sweet.

Our hotel's breakfast was served at a Japanese restaurant on the ground floor named 吉福.
(We took a photo and texted it to our friend Jeff Yeh in Massachusetts.)

Part of the breakfast buffet spread.

We were delighted to see a pot of oden stew with plenty of konnyaku (蒟蒻) and daikon.
Himeji seems to be proud of its own Himeji-style oden,
and there are a few eateries serving it year-round.

MC's first selection from the breakfast buffet.
No sashimi, but we found plenty of items that we liked.
The plain white tofu was tasty too.
 

Downtown Himeji has many covered arcades like this.
Inside the arcade are shops, restaurants, and markets, etc.

Cross this historical landmark bridge, the Sakuramon-bashi (桜門橋), over the moat to enter the Himeji Park.

A tall gate leads to the castle ground.
The castle ground is now called "Himeji Park" and is free to visit.

Then there is quite a distance to cover before one can reach the castle.
Admission ticket (was 1000 JPY when we visited) is required to visit inside the castle.

The castle's profile appeared different based on the angle from which you viewed it.

The castle keep has 6 floors above the ground.

The 1st floor looks like a big open space.
However, the raised gliding tracks on the floor indicate that there are sliding doors available
to close off the central part of the space if needed.

Stairs leading from the 1st floor to the 2nd.

Continue climbing, now we are on the 4th floor.

As we climb higher, the floor space becomes smaller and the stairs steeper.
(Yes, you have to take your shoes off and carry your shoes in a plastic bag.)

Now we are at the 6th floor.

The view from the 6th-floor window.
 

On the way down, we saw this plaque that says Miyamoto Musashi (宮本 武蔵)
has repelled evil spirits near that spot.
 

3D model of the Himeji Castle and its surroundings.
 

The winding and sloping path visitors must take to reach the castle keep.
(This photo was taken when we were on our way out and walking down instead of up.)
 

Japanese TV carries Dodgers ball games live whenever the Dodgers are playing.
VT enjoyed catching up on MLB games in our hotel room.
 

At the Himeji station, waiting for the Shinkansen train to our next destination, Okayama.