Samara and I might not be in Japan for the cherry blossoms but I think people are missing out because the plum blossoms are absolutely glorious and we got to see a lot of them today as we wandered around another beautiful Japanese city- Osaka.
Today our travels took us into Osaka on the train, (the slowest train journey so far....from Tokyo to Kyoto which is roughly 460 kms took less then 3 hours and the nearly 55kms trip to Osaka took just over an hour.) On the train with a few commuters, there are a lot of people who live in Kyoto who travel in to work in Osaka and vice versa (so wondering how busy it would be on a Monday to Friday trip)
Osaka is another easy city to get around, from Kyoto you arrive at Kyobashi station and get on the Loop line which pretty much takes you to the main tourist attractions (yes there are probably a lot more when you get off the beaten track but remember Samara and I have just today really to get as much of Osaka done as we can (again another excuse to come back and spend time in Japan.) Our first stop was Osaka-jo (Osaka Castle), with it's towers and moat it is impressive to see.
From the train station to the castle you walk past baseball pitches and on a sunny Sunday morning there were lots of kids playing baseball with very enthusiastic parents cheering them on. The gardens are beautiful and as I said the underrated plum blossoms were beginning to bloom, and they are so pretty so I can just imagine what the gardens look like when spring comes and the cherry blossoms appear.
The grounds are huge and I think you could easily spend a day(or more) just wandering around here (rather than trying to squeeze it in to a couple of hours because we had so much else to see). There are so many buildings beyond the castle walls and so much going on, including a judo tournament
which I peeked in and watched for awhile (no it wasn't karate :) but it is a martial art and I soaked up the atmosphere inside while Samara soaked up the sun outside) We crossed the Gokurakubashi bridge (see picture with me above) to get into the grounds and wandered through to the Otemon gate on the other side
I think this photo really reflects Japan, the traditional with the castles, temples and shrines and the peace and serenity you feel when around it and the modern with it's skyscrapers, brash sights and sounds and I'm loving both.
Back on the train (I love circle routes because you can plan your tourist destinations around the next stop :) or the walk from one stop to the next.
We headed towards Tennoji station and we wandered down amazing Osakan streets, with stores full of interesting food, weird and wonderful clothes, stores that appeal to tourists and locals alike. For the duck lover in the family (Jenna) I couldn't resist the advertising boards, although I am curious to know what they're advertising :). We passed signs to go to the zoo, and we both resisted tempation to visit with the animals and made our way to Shitennoji Temple. It is supposed to be the first Buddhist Temple built in Japan and although it has been destroyed and rebuilt a few times it is the same as it originally was built in the 6th Century.
I think Japanese spirituality is rubbing off on me, and even though we doing the touristy thing and taking lots of photos I also like to take a moment at every shrine and temple to burn incense and offer out my 'prayers' to the universe, to toss some yen coins in for offerings, clap and bow and ring bells, (I remember the guide from our first day saying that she is like a lot of Japanese people who like to keep all bases covered, saying that they are Shinto, Buddhist and Christian and they believe in a little bit of everything...I kind of like that idea...and think I might do the same ....just in case :)
We wandered around a little more, soaking up Osaka city before finishing our day at the 'floating garden' at the Umeda Sky Building (Observatory Tower.)
It's a great modern building, but the escalators between the two towers give you a moment of how the hell do they do that?? And another moment of I am so glad I'm not afraid of heights, because I don't think I would have liked the escalator if I was.
More extraordinary views and I have to say that Samara and I have been so lucky that we've had great weather to be able to appreciate those views.
The Umeda Sky Tower has a mascot Sorara-chan and with her and Samara they have the Japanese definition of 'kawai-i' cute and adorable... you see a lot of that in Japan :)
Our quick trip around Osaka ends here (for the moment) as we have tickets to a show in the Gion Area of Kyoto tonight, but that's okay because that means I need to come back and explore it again....(also a missed opportunity to do another theme park...Universal Studios Japanese style.... next time :)