Before going to Naoshima, we had a three hour stop at Himeji castle. It has been renovated recently and shines brightly over the whole city. The structure is made from stones (some of them looted from cemeteries), plaster and wood. The wood structure is impressive and the trees used for it have been massive (approximately 80 cm in diameter).
Since the floors are made of wood, all visitors need to take their shoes off, so bring a pair good socks with you and if its a chillier day, take knitted socks with you. It can get a bit cold even on a warm day, since all windows are wide open and it's quite windy on the hill.
There are at least six floors in the castle and you can go right to the top. The stairs between the floors are steep and the steps are high. Nevertheless, there were lots of elderly people climbing the stairs up and down. It was surprising and a proof of how people in Japan stay active and in good shape through the years.