Hi Shar, Himeji castle is so beautiful and I would highly recommend getting there if you have the chance. I believe it is worth going even if you can't do the stairs but you can definitely do a floor at a time and do it at your own speed. You aren't there in a peak period so it will be less crowded than shown in our Himeji article https://www.2aussietravellers.com/a-visit-to-himeji-castle/, the photos in that article were during cherry blossom right before it was closed for several years of renovations so it was super busy. That said, the stairs are steep so you may have some issues with them.

I agree about Kyoto Natalie, we always spend a good amount of our Japan visits in the city as we love being immersed and getting lost in it. Nijo castle is definitely special among the Japanese castles, as far as I know it is the only one with an original palace building still standing but no tower. I'd read about the nightingale floors in so many novels I was fascinated to hear them myself.

The seasons are part of the beauty of Japan for us and whether it's blossoms, the coloured leaves or the bright greens of summer it always has something to entice us back. So nice to hear from someone who loved parts of Japan as much as we do!

LOL, we speak the same language .. got me thinking .... hmmm always wanted an autumn leaf trip

It was really amazing, he had a thing about gold for sure but it would be like drinking tea in Las Vegas rather than Kyoto .. not relaxing 🙂

Ha ha, you've got the Japan bug too! Definitely hold out for a sale if you can, they usually have them and they are so good. We booked our last cherry blossom trip on a New Years day online sale with Jetstar and it was basically two for one pricing. They aren't flash but they are safe and the quickest flight to get there.