April 16, 2024–Osaka, Japan

mlchad147
Apr 16, 2024
4 min read

This morning found us in Osaka, Japan’s third largest city, with a population of 2.7 million, and gateway to Kyoto and Nara, two wonderful cities I visited during my earlier visit in 1971. Today, however, was all about Osaka, and we had a great time.

Our ship docked around 10:00 am, and by 11:00 we were in a bus and on our way to Osaka Castle, one of Japan’s most famous landmarks. Osaka Castle dates back to the 16th century, during the time of the shoguns, and served as the headquarters of two different shogunates until they fell, one in 1615 and the other in 1868. Wandering the grounds it’s hard to imagine how attackers could possibly overcome its defenses, so formidable do they appear.

The castle is protected by a wide outer moat and high granite walls, backed by, yep, an inner moat and wall. Still, one of the battles for control is reported to have involved 200,000 attackers, and I suppose sheer force of numbers accounts for something. I tried to imagine 200,000 soldiers attacking the castle’s 100,000 defenders, but gave up trying to figure out how it went down. The numbers are just too mind boggling.

The castle itself is not original, as it has been destroyed more than once by wars and fires, but the current version, restored after World War Two, is spectacular. Sitting atop a high granite wall, it rises eight floors above the surrounding courtyard, and the white, ornate structure is stunning. The interior has been gutted and now serves as a museum, with exhibits on the first seven floors. The top floor has been turned into an observation deck, from which the views of the city are marvelous.

Like many of the other popular tourist sites we’ve visited, the castle was packed with visitors, and there was quite a line to enter the castle and use the elevator, but if you were willing to climb the stairs, which we were, you could walk right in. I will say that climbing the stairs to the top was work, because the floors have high ceilings, and eight floors were probably the equivalent of twelve in other buildings. At least it felt like that to me.

Photography was prohibited in some of the building, so I can’t show you much of what we saw inside, but we did take the time to review the exhibits on each of the first seven floors on our way back down, and I thought they were well done. Our primary interest, though, was in getting back outside and taking some photos of the beautiful castle and surrounding fortifications. The grounds outside the walls are also lovely, and we took some time to admire the cherry blossoms, which were just passing their peak here. We really were fortunate that our week in Japan coincided with their cherry blossom time, which only lasts about that long.

Back on the bus, we were transported both in location and time to a very modern area of Osaka to experience another of its top attractions, Dotonbori. Lining a canal, Dotonbori is the city’s dining, shopping and entertainment district, and it is something to behold. At first glance it is reminiscent of some of the Chinatowns we’ve visited, with mobs of people cramming a long street lined with all manner of shops, restaurants and open air fast food kiosks.

Plunging into the maelstrom, we made our way down the long street, stopping frequently to take photos of the colorful displays over many of the buildings. Dragons, giant crabs with moving arms, golden steers, and angry chefs loomed over us as we walked along, and it was great fun. About halfway down, the street is bisected by a modern covered shopping street that feels more like a mall. It was also crowded, and I imagine that it’s even more so when the weather isn’t as nice as it was today.

After more than an hour and a half exploring Dotonbori we returned to the entrance to catch our bus back to the ship. My pedometer indicated that I had walked the equivalent of six miles between our visits to Osaka Castle and Dotonbori, so I was more than happy to call it a day, but we weren’t quite done. The multi-floor cruise terminal where we were docked contains a good sized shopping and dining center, and we decided to poke around and look for souvenirs before returning to the ship. We didn’t buy much, but it was enjoyable and a lot less hectic than Dotonbori.

After six different stops in Japan we’re back out in the open sea and have four consecutive sea days ahead of us as we make our way south to Vietnam. I’m sure that will be a very different experience, and I’m looking forward to it. I should alert you though, faithful reader, that Vietnam, like China, isn’t fond of Starlink, so my reports may not be timely. I’ll do my best, and I’ll get them out as quickly as possible. See you soon.