Himeji Castle's White Walls

Himeji Castle is a hilltop fortress in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. Its brilliant white exterior resembles a bird taking flight.

The complex contains 83 buildings, including storehouses, gates, corridors, and turrets made of stone and wood.

Loopholes shaped like circles, triangles, squares, and rectangles let defenders fire on attackers without exposure.

The confusing maze of paths forces approaching enemies to travel in a spiral pattern around the complex.

It spreads across a vast hilltop area in Himeji.

In 1945, one firebomb hit the top floor but failed to explode. The castle survived intact.

Restoration work finished in 2015 removed decades of grime, restoring the formerly grey roof to brilliant white.