Zombie travel guide.
A little something I've been thinking about doing for a while, here's the first article of my Zombie Travel Guide. This one goes out to you,
duchess_of_pie.
So, you've prepared yourself for the zombie apocalypse: you have food and weapons stashed in your home, you have escape routes and safe locations where you can hold out against the flesh-eating hordes mapped out from both home and work, and you've studied The Zombie Survival Guide and World War Z by Max Brooks as if your life depended on it. You're ready. So what are you going to do now, sit in your fortress home and await the outbreak, living your life cowering in fear of something that hasn't happened yet? Come on, you've done your research, you have your plans set and ready to go- just because you're prepared doesn't mean you have to be paranoid. Go out and have some fun, live a little. Expand your horizons and do some traveling.
Wait, traveling? But what if the outbreak occurs while you're away from home? All those well laid plans gone to waste! And you can't get your weapons through airport security! Never fear, this is where the Zombie Apocalypse Travel Guide comes in to play! Our first entry brings us to Himeji Castle in Japan.
While perhaps not as popular a tourist site as Kyoto or Tokyo, Himeji is well worth a visit if you're going to Japan. The main reason for most travelers to stop in Himeji is the beautiful Himeji Castle that rises from the center of town. Construction of battlements dates as far back as 1346, though the present structures were completed in 1618. At one point, the castle was surrounded by three moats, though the city of Himeji has grown in and around the areas the moats had enclosed, in many places filling them in. The castle itself largely escaped the destruction of the bombings of World War II, and today stands as one of the most originally intact castles in Japan. One of the great things about Himeji Castle is that you can explore it, walking in and around the buildings and getting a real feel for the place, as opposed to Kyoto where you can view all the buildings 100 meters away from behind ropes. It was said that Himeji's defenses were such that the castle would never be taken. So how well does that translate to surviving a Zombie attack?
First, let's take a look at the terrain.
(map stolen shamelessly from the Japan National Tourist Organization http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/map/061_Himeji.html
Also worth viewing are some high detail arial/satellite photos at http://www.jcastle.info/castle/zoom/32)
As you can see, the remaining moats do not completely close off access to the castle. However, most of the entrances still have standing, close-able gates, and walls rise from the inner side of the moats (as seen by this selection of photos on a quick search at flickr), preventing all but the most agile class of zombies from reaching the castle. In other words, they do create defensible choke points which could be advantageous to even a small to mid-sized group of survivors of the initial outbreak.
Should the moat and gates be breached by the flesh-eating hordes, survivors can fall back to the walls. The walls of the keep are prime examples of medieval Japanese defensive architecture. If you take a look at some other people's photos on flickr , you can see that while the walls may not be as high one might wish, they are high enough to slow the zombie horde down. They feature an over-hanging roof, making climbing difficult, if not impossible without ropes and grappling hooks or siege towers. They also have features that the defenders should take full advantage of, such as the slits through which weapons (more on this later) may be fired. If there are enough survivors to man the walls, by all means, do so. Smaller number of survivors may wish to concentrate defenses on the gates which, despite their heavy doors, are still the most likely entry point. Fortunately, the builders took this into account, and most gates have extra defensive features ranging from walled roadways from defenders can attack via the afore-mentioned projectile openings to other buildings fronting the gates designed specifically to provide an advantage to defenders from the onrushing (or shuffling, depending on the class of zombie) hordes. In most cases, the gates are positioned downhill to further slow the rush into the castle's inner grounds should the gates fall. Furthermore, many of the walls are laid out in such a way as to slow the approach of the enemy, with several wrong turns and dead ends as well as narrow areas and tight turns, creating more bottleneck choke points, in many place overlooked by gaps such as this (my own photo this time), through which weapons can be fired or stones dropped.
Finally, there's the main tower itself. If you end up trapped here, let's face it, the end is near. There is no better place to prolong that end, however. The main donjon has seven floors total (five of them above-ground), each with an impressive array of features to help you hold out against that final assault. There are raised walkways around the walls, giving defenders the higher-ground advantage, as well as special "closets" in each corner in which defenders can lock themselves, each with narrow windows through which they can defend themselves while minimizing counter-attack. Stairways up to each level are narrow and steep, with large doors that can be slid over the openings to slow or even stop the flesh-craving beasts from reaching you. On the upper floors, even a small number of survivors could hold out for quite a long time.
Structurally speaking, you couldn't ask for a better place to hold out against a zombie infestation than Himeji castle. Structures are not the only concern, however. One must also consider factors such as food and water, as well as availability of weapons. Should you be able to hold the walls, or optimally stop the attack at the moats, Himeji castle stands in a prime location in the center of town, making for the possibility of quick foraging raids on the city's grocery stores and convenience stores for non-perishable items such as canned food. For water, it should be possible to construct cisterns to catch rain-water. The castle wells may provide a source of drinking water if you can find some way to treat or filter it. Drinking the moat water is not recommended, though it may be suitable for watering crops should you be able to hold out long enough to consider gardening as part of your long-term food supplies.
Weapons are another concern. Firearms are not as widely owned, nor as available, in Japan as they may be in other parts of the world. Your best bet, as well as most easily located, would be the police station (The Zombie Travel Guide does not encourage or suggest that one considers raiding the police station except in the case of a full-scale zombie outbreak). Japanese archery, or kyudo, has a wide following and you may be able to secure bows and arrows at various locations within the town (Look first to Jr. or Sr. High schools, since most schools in Japan will have a kyudo team). Within the castle itself you will find a very small supply of spears and such in the castle museum, but keep in mind that these are either very old and authentic or modern reproductions which may or may not stand up to the rigors of zombie combat. Wooden swords will likely be available at most tourist shops, some of which are located within the castle grounds. While ancient weapons (and hokey religions) may be no match for a good pistol at your side, blunt weapons are better than nothing, and can be quite effective (especially if you've been keeping up with your training). Another place to consider while foraging for weapons, should the outbreak occur, are the various dojos within the city. You may want to pass on their bound bamboo sparring swords, but most kendo schools will have at least a couple of real swords on the premises, and likely bo staffs or ju-kendo staffs(rifle-shaped wooden staffs still used to practice the art of wielding bayonet-tipped rifles by the Japanese military).
Remember, just because you're ready for the zombie apocalypse doesn't mean you have to stop living. Get out there and enjoy the world while you still can.
* Links and photos, aside from my own, are used without permission. If the original owners don't like it, let me know, and I'll remove them.
* Just for the record, I've not read the Max Brooks books mentioned in the introduction, though they are on my "I plan to get to them once I finish the other books in the pile" list.
duchess_of_pie.
So, you've prepared yourself for the zombie apocalypse: you have food and weapons stashed in your home, you have escape routes and safe locations where you can hold out against the flesh-eating hordes mapped out from both home and work, and you've studied The Zombie Survival Guide and World War Z by Max Brooks as if your life depended on it. You're ready. So what are you going to do now, sit in your fortress home and await the outbreak, living your life cowering in fear of something that hasn't happened yet? Come on, you've done your research, you have your plans set and ready to go- just because you're prepared doesn't mean you have to be paranoid. Go out and have some fun, live a little. Expand your horizons and do some traveling.
Wait, traveling? But what if the outbreak occurs while you're away from home? All those well laid plans gone to waste! And you can't get your weapons through airport security! Never fear, this is where the Zombie Apocalypse Travel Guide comes in to play! Our first entry brings us to Himeji Castle in Japan.
While perhaps not as popular a tourist site as Kyoto or Tokyo, Himeji is well worth a visit if you're going to Japan. The main reason for most travelers to stop in Himeji is the beautiful Himeji Castle that rises from the center of town. Construction of battlements dates as far back as 1346, though the present structures were completed in 1618. At one point, the castle was surrounded by three moats, though the city of Himeji has grown in and around the areas the moats had enclosed, in many places filling them in. The castle itself largely escaped the destruction of the bombings of World War II, and today stands as one of the most originally intact castles in Japan. One of the great things about Himeji Castle is that you can explore it, walking in and around the buildings and getting a real feel for the place, as opposed to Kyoto where you can view all the buildings 100 meters away from behind ropes. It was said that Himeji's defenses were such that the castle would never be taken. So how well does that translate to surviving a Zombie attack?
First, let's take a look at the terrain.
(map stolen shamelessly from the Japan National Tourist Organization http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/map/061_Himeji.html
Also worth viewing are some high detail arial/satellite photos at http://www.jcastle.info/castle/zoom/32)
As you can see, the remaining moats do not completely close off access to the castle. However, most of the entrances still have standing, close-able gates, and walls rise from the inner side of the moats (as seen by this selection of photos on a quick search at flickr), preventing all but the most agile class of zombies from reaching the castle. In other words, they do create defensible choke points which could be advantageous to even a small to mid-sized group of survivors of the initial outbreak.
Should the moat and gates be breached by the flesh-eating hordes, survivors can fall back to the walls. The walls of the keep are prime examples of medieval Japanese defensive architecture. If you take a look at some other people's photos on flickr , you can see that while the walls may not be as high one might wish, they are high enough to slow the zombie horde down. They feature an over-hanging roof, making climbing difficult, if not impossible without ropes and grappling hooks or siege towers. They also have features that the defenders should take full advantage of, such as the slits through which weapons (more on this later) may be fired. If there are enough survivors to man the walls, by all means, do so. Smaller number of survivors may wish to concentrate defenses on the gates which, despite their heavy doors, are still the most likely entry point. Fortunately, the builders took this into account, and most gates have extra defensive features ranging from walled roadways from defenders can attack via the afore-mentioned projectile openings to other buildings fronting the gates designed specifically to provide an advantage to defenders from the onrushing (or shuffling, depending on the class of zombie) hordes. In most cases, the gates are positioned downhill to further slow the rush into the castle's inner grounds should the gates fall. Furthermore, many of the walls are laid out in such a way as to slow the approach of the enemy, with several wrong turns and dead ends as well as narrow areas and tight turns, creating more bottleneck choke points, in many place overlooked by gaps such as this (my own photo this time), through which weapons can be fired or stones dropped.
Finally, there's the main tower itself. If you end up trapped here, let's face it, the end is near. There is no better place to prolong that end, however. The main donjon has seven floors total (five of them above-ground), each with an impressive array of features to help you hold out against that final assault. There are raised walkways around the walls, giving defenders the higher-ground advantage, as well as special "closets" in each corner in which defenders can lock themselves, each with narrow windows through which they can defend themselves while minimizing counter-attack. Stairways up to each level are narrow and steep, with large doors that can be slid over the openings to slow or even stop the flesh-craving beasts from reaching you. On the upper floors, even a small number of survivors could hold out for quite a long time.
Structurally speaking, you couldn't ask for a better place to hold out against a zombie infestation than Himeji castle. Structures are not the only concern, however. One must also consider factors such as food and water, as well as availability of weapons. Should you be able to hold the walls, or optimally stop the attack at the moats, Himeji castle stands in a prime location in the center of town, making for the possibility of quick foraging raids on the city's grocery stores and convenience stores for non-perishable items such as canned food. For water, it should be possible to construct cisterns to catch rain-water. The castle wells may provide a source of drinking water if you can find some way to treat or filter it. Drinking the moat water is not recommended, though it may be suitable for watering crops should you be able to hold out long enough to consider gardening as part of your long-term food supplies.
Weapons are another concern. Firearms are not as widely owned, nor as available, in Japan as they may be in other parts of the world. Your best bet, as well as most easily located, would be the police station (The Zombie Travel Guide does not encourage or suggest that one considers raiding the police station except in the case of a full-scale zombie outbreak). Japanese archery, or kyudo, has a wide following and you may be able to secure bows and arrows at various locations within the town (Look first to Jr. or Sr. High schools, since most schools in Japan will have a kyudo team). Within the castle itself you will find a very small supply of spears and such in the castle museum, but keep in mind that these are either very old and authentic or modern reproductions which may or may not stand up to the rigors of zombie combat. Wooden swords will likely be available at most tourist shops, some of which are located within the castle grounds. While ancient weapons (and hokey religions) may be no match for a good pistol at your side, blunt weapons are better than nothing, and can be quite effective (especially if you've been keeping up with your training). Another place to consider while foraging for weapons, should the outbreak occur, are the various dojos within the city. You may want to pass on their bound bamboo sparring swords, but most kendo schools will have at least a couple of real swords on the premises, and likely bo staffs or ju-kendo staffs(rifle-shaped wooden staffs still used to practice the art of wielding bayonet-tipped rifles by the Japanese military).
Remember, just because you're ready for the zombie apocalypse doesn't mean you have to stop living. Get out there and enjoy the world while you still can.
* Links and photos, aside from my own, are used without permission. If the original owners don't like it, let me know, and I'll remove them.
* Just for the record, I've not read the Max Brooks books mentioned in the introduction, though they are on my "I plan to get to them once I finish the other books in the pile" list.