Today we went to Himeji for lunch, shopping, and a light dinner. We started at a small izakaya for drinks and kushiage, and it was all so yummy. The place was full of people enjoying lunch and drinking quite a bit! There was only one guy running the whole restaurant, and he was busy pouring bubbly for everyone. Amazing.

After that we did some shopping at Loft, Hands, and Junkudo bookstore. I picked up a couple of books, including volume 2 of Hirayasumi. I really love that manga.

Later we had a special Himeji style white miso oden before catching the train back home. What a fun day in the city! We really like visiting Himeji. It’s a medium sized city with lots of the same stores as Tokyo or Osaka, but without the overwhelming crowds. And the food is cheap with fresh seafood. Love it!

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Today I went to Himeji and took a leisurely stroll around the castle grounds. Quite literally, since I didn’t actually enter the castle this time. I just walked around the grounds, visited Himeji Shrine, and got my omikuji (fortune) in English. And I got a good one! Yay!

I skipped going inside because I’d been there before and remember it being a pretty strenuous walk. It’s a huge castle, and getting up to it means climbing a big hill. Add in today’s heat, and I was happy just admiring it from outside.

As an aside, I used my new umbrella, the one with UV protection, and let me tell you, it’s a total game-changer for sunny days. What a difference in comfort. I highly recommend picking one up if you spend any time walking around in the sun.

Before heading home, I got a Himeji Station stamp for my stamp book. It’s filling up nicely.

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Today we headed over to the city of Himeji to do some shopping at Muji, one of my favorite stores. I love everything about that place!

Although they have a respectable sized stationery section, I resisted buying anything. I admit to having a mechanical pencil and notebook in my basket, but I put them back since I don’t really need them. My collection at home is already overflowing! However, I did find a couple of shirts that fit perfectly, so I bought those. They were at a great price too, at around ¥1,200 JPY ($7.50 USD) each. Such a steal!

After shopping, we went to Shabu-yo, an all-you-can-eat shabu-shabu restaurant. It was delicious and we stuffed ourselves! By the time we left the restaurant, it was full of high school kids. We later saw the sign outside that advertised a special price for high school students. No wonder! I’d be eating here all the time if I were still in high school!

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