With a typhoon heading for Kyoto we switched around our plans to take full advantage of our JR pass and took a trip to Himeji and Okayama for a day trip.
The primary attraction of Himeji is the massive ‘White Heron’ castle. The whole city used to be inside a series of moats on the plain, with the castle at the center. They’ve since filled in most of the moats, but the center castle complex remains. It was renovated about 4 years ago, and it is amazing. The inside was definitely designed for war, not for living. There are weapon racks everywhere, arrow/musket shooting windows, and rock/burning oil dumping stations. The maze of walls is pretty effective too, we got turned around just following the signs on the way in.
The whole building just blows your mind in its scale and longevity (it’s been here since the mid-1500s!). Next door is where the lord of the castle lived, which is much more lavish for living.
The Lord’s Gardens are included with the castle ticket and are some of the best detailed Japanese garden’s we’ve seen yet. It’s broken into sections and each is meticulously maintained. Japanese Gardens are easily my favorite type of garden. I could sit down just about anywhere in one and be happy for a long time.
Once in Okayama we went to a tofu restaurant Priscilla had read about. We got a delicious set meal of tofu made in three different ways (fried, chilled and soft with vegetables). 
Afterwards we visited the Korakuen Gardens, one of the top 3 in Japan. It’s also very meticulous, but scaled up to a park size. We spent about 2 hours just wandering the grounds, soaking it in. Another castle, the “Black Crow” is in the background of this garden.
The garden even has its own tea plants for its tea houses. 
It was amusing to watch a group of 20ish year-old guys trying to discretely play capture the flag. You aren’t supposed to disturb others in these gardens, and you can’t leave the paths. So they kinda fast-walked around and yelled at each other in whispers.
The garden has some cranes also! We finally got a chance to see them up close!
Every point in the garden is varied and has its own charm. Since we had awhile, we sat down in multiple places to rest and observe.
A statue of Momotaro (the Peach Boy) and his sidekicks, a monkey, pheasant and dog at the Okayama train station. The legend states that Momotaro defeated the a three-eyed, three-toed people-eating monster! 
Finally, we grabbed bento boxes and took our last JR pass train 1.5 hrs back to Kyoto. Definitely one of the top day trips we’ve done.
Highlights of Himeji Castle and Okayama:
- Himeji Castle, particular the gardens next door. Wish we’d done them first, because we probably would have spent more time there
- The Korakuen gardens, since we had a lot of time
- Riding the bullet trains around, it’s the best way to see a lot of the Japan countryside!