We pulled into Osaka late at night, so it wasn't until the next morning that we got to see the city during the day. Osaka looks very different from Kyoto - it's a much larger and more modern city, though it still has a "20th century charm" that has aged gracefully, so despite looking older than a modern Chinese city, it's still very pleasant.
We made our way to the Osaka Castle. On the way, we were a bit concerned when we saw a huge line near the castle.
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| That's a big line!!! |
Fortunately, we found out that it was not the line for the castle itself, but for a JPOP concert! It would have been pretty cool to go to that, but we already had plans to visit the castle!
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| Osaka Castle is one of the best kept castles in Japan today, though it has been destroyed and re-built over the years |
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| A view from the top of the castle |
Inside the castle, there are numerous interactive exhibits depicting scenes from the life of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who came from a peasant background and rose to power, unifying all of the warring Daimyo clans and basing his operations out of Osaka Castle towards the end of his life. Toyotomi was also responsible for a mass invasion of Korea in the 16th century after running out of clans to unify. His target was actually China, but the invasion, while effective, ever made it past the Chinese/Korean border as Ming emperor Wanli spent massive resources to stop the invasion.
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| This is part of a giant painting where you can recognize several key historical figures, like Tokugawa Ieyasu, who claimed power shortly after Toyotomi Hideyoshi's death. |
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| The castle is surrounded by walls with large stones from a remote quarry - many of these stones are marked with a clan symbol indicating its origin and the craftsmen who worked on it |
After our educational visit to Osaka Castle, we headed towards the more modern area of Osaka.
Our first stop in "modern" Osaka was the Osaka Shochikuza theater, where Kabuki is often performed:
Unfortunately, the theater was closed for the next several days, so we would not be able to see a play on our trip!
A short walk away (actually backtracking), is the dynamic Dotonburi district. This is the signature of modern Osaka. Of course, Osaka has been a modern city pretty much since the 60s, so compared to, say, Shanghai, Osaka doesn't have the shine and "fanciness"; but instead it has retro charm in spades!
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| The famous Glico Running Man! |
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| Smile for the camera! |
Dotonburi is famous for its dynamic riverside shopping, especially its street food. One of my favorite Japanese foods is Ramen, so we lined up for the famous Ichiran Ramen!
Ichiran is a very automated restaurant - you basically don't need to see anyone from the moment you step in. You check in and put your order in at a machine, then make your way to the dining area, which is set up in individual booths. You hand your ticket through a window, and the shutter goes back down. When your order is ready, the shutter opens and your bowl comes through the window. Interesting, but weird!
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| Each patron is given a little booth, and you can put up shutters for a completely isolated dining environment. Kind of weird, but interesting! |
You may recall, my first experience with Japanese ramen, back in 2014, was somewhat underwhelming. Over the years, I've experienced all kinds of noodles all over the world, and I find myself always coming back to Japanese ramen. Mind you, not just any Japanese ramen, as different restaurants do have their differentiators. For me, there must be a good pork bone based broth, with just the right amount of pork slices, and the noodles should be firm, yet chewy!
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| Yum! Classic pork bone broth ramen is the best! |
On the way back to the metro station, we finally stopped at a capsule machine and both kids got the Pokemon they wanted!
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| The moment of truth... |
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| Success! |
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| Eevee and Pikachu! |
Stay tuned for the finale of our Kansai Quest!
