盛开的樱花和姬路城，日本姬路 Cherry blossoms and Himeji Castle in Himeji, Japan (© Tororo/Getty Images)

盛开的樱花和姬路城，日本姬路 Cherry blossoms and Himeji Castle in Himeji, Japan (© Tororo/Getty Images)

Castle on a hill

In honor of Castle Day in Japan, we're featuring Himeji Castle—one of the most pristine examples of traditional Japanese castle architecture, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Castle Day is on April 6 (or 4/6) because the Japanese character for castle (城) is read as 'shiro,' and the Japanese pronunciation of 'four' is 'shi' and 'six' is 'ro.' Samurai warrior Akamatsu Norimura built Himeji Castle in 1333 as a fortress. Over the years, the structure has undergone many remodels, and several buildings were added as it changed hands. The castle even survived WWII unscathed while surrounding areas were bombed mercilessly.