It seems like picnic under the cherry trees is not a privilege for human. Walking around the moat of Himeji Castle in leisure, I saw a group of cats gathered together for an early dinner with a beautiful spring backdrop of the Himeji Castle. All cats are in different colors yet about the same size and look healthy. Very interesting!

First built as a fort in 1933, Himeji Castle has gone through several major constructions and expansion throughout several hundred years, including surviving the Second World War in 1945. In 1581, the famous warrior Hashiba Hideyoshi built a 3-storied keep in Himeji Castle. The current 5-storied, 7-floored Main Keep was completed in 1609. In 1934, the Main Keep of Himeji Castle was designated as National Treasure. In 1993, Himeji Castle was registered as Japan’s first UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site. A major maintenance and repair work of the Main Keep began in 2009 and completed in 2015 which was just one year ago. In my recent visit for the cherry blossom, part of the structure is still covered with scaffolding.