Today was our last day in Japan, so we tried to make the most of it. In the morning we took the train to Osaka Castle. It was build in the 15th century and renovated/repaired over the centuries as needed.
This was the family with part of the castle is background.
This picture is an example of the massive walls around the moat.
The size of the stones used in the walls are truly impressive and remind be of Ancient Aliens when they show ancient building with unbelievably massive stones. Of course, the building of this castle is recorded, so no aliens here.
Here is my wife standing in front of a shine outside of the temple.
These are common at many shrines in Japan. These are the wishes of individuals written on wood and tied to the shrine.
This was another shrine of part of the earlier one. This one has a box to toss money in and then a bell to ring. I was surprised to see the bell at the top is not the bell I usually see at shrines. Instead, it is more like a "jingle bell".
Now for the castle. We walked through the main door. This massive, iron coated door was heavy-duty enough to prevent invasion.
After we walked through the door and along the path, the castle came into view.
Now we approach the castle and buy tickets. One thing to remember is if you go to Osaka and visit the castle, the day-pass for the Osaka metro will give you a discount on the ticket to enter the castle. Best of all, you can bypass the normal line.
Starting on the second floor, there is a restriction on photography. At first, I though it was only the traditional cameras with flashes, but after taking this camera, I noticed that it was to protect intellectual property. So unfortunately, no more picture from here of the art and history lessons. But it is full of historical items.
On the eight floor, there is a obversation deck. This is a picture from outside showing the museum and gift shop in the distance.
As we excited the castle, there was this massive cannon.
Here is a picture of the family outside the castle.
Now for the gift shop. My son loved the ninja store with all kinds of ninja toys and gadgets. Besides this speciality shop, the rest was just a normal tourist trap ....
...with the exception of this contraption. You buy a coin for 500 yen and then pay 30 yen to type whatever you want on it.
I typed my kids names on it. It's not very clear in the picture and the "H" is really light. It also prints the date that you visited. It was the only souvenir that I got on the whole trip.
After a few hours, we said good-bye to this amazing landmark and continued on our tour of Osaka.
So we took the subway to a lively part of town and looked for a good restaurant to eat at. The buildings have the most amazing designs.
These busy streets are really the most intriguing parts of town in any city.
We had some rice, meat, and raw egg. You are supposed to mix it up and the hot rice cooks the egg.
Here is my daughter eating a traditional wheel cake (similar to a stiff pancake) with a twist. It has mozzarella inside.
Sometimes when traveling, you run into very fascinating and strange things. This was one. I believe it to be a company trademark. I really wish I had a friend from Osaka I could ask, or better Japanese.
Then there are somethings that are just a different way of doing things. This young lady stands in the window wavying at passersby to get them to come into the restaurant. Nothing strange or bad, just a restaurant.
Then we went to a busier street. Shopping time for my wife and her sister. So my son and I watched the sunset over the river.
We were still full from our late lunch. But the food looks so good.
We were going to go on a river tour, but the tickets were sold out. So we just stood on the bridge and admired the night scene.
The next morning, we got up at 4am. Grabbed a Godzilla energy drink, and headed to the train station to get the to airport (KIX).
Then we headed boarded the airplane and returned to Taiwan. We really had a great vacation.
*All images were taken by me with iphone 14.