on the outskirts of himeji, tucked in between rice paddies, housed in six exquisite plaster kuras, is the wonderful japan toy museum. not only is it chock full of all kinds of beautiful and interesting examples of japanese toys dating back over one hundred years, it also has many hands on exhibits and a lovely garden. as you can see, i was smitten.
japan toy museum: vintage regional folk toys including kokeshi dolls, daruma figures, paper fish and a plaster dog.
himeji castle, built in the 16th century, is both beautiful and imposing. i was particularly taken by the surprisingly modernist sculptural white plaster walls with round, square and triangular shaped defensive holes perforating them.
