Woke up at 4:45 am today in order to meet at Yamate, at 7. The shinkansen ride was my time to relax and catch up on my sleep that I missed the night before. Our first stop on the 'Hiroshima" trip was Himeji Castle, and hour train ride from Hiroshima. The castle was a beautiful white, well preserved, also known to appear as if it is a bird ready to take flight. Inside the castle, was a raw wooden structure that would burn down in less than 10 minutes if were to be put on fire. The castle was surrounded by beautiful traditional Japanese gardens and large moats that were used as a defensive mechanism back in the early 1900's. After our exploration time at the Himeji garden we got back onto the shinkansen and made our way to our final destination of the day our HOTEL. By the time I arrived at the hotel I wad dead; I had no source of energy left what so ever. I was so excited to be able to go on facebook when we got to the hotel; I was looking forward that all day! Today was the beginning of our 'Hiroshima' Field Studies Trip, 2009.