Osaka

Osaka marked the end of our short journey through Japan, and we were really beginning to feel the effects of consecutive ten and twelve hour days.  There were only a few things that we had really planned to do in Osaka, visit the castle, scoop the aquarium, and sample the food, (Osaka is known for being Japan's culinary capital).  It was nice to retreat to our hostel, (which was really nice and centrally located), for some afternoon reading/napping before heading back out for dinner at night.

Osaka Castle

Completed in 1597, Osaka Castle became the headquarters for Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and played a key role in Japan's unification.  All eight floors of the castle now serve as a museum and most of the exhibitions serve to highlight the Siege of Osaka.  I love history, but I was a little disappointed that the entire museum focused mainly on the siege and eventual fall of the castle.  I was hoping for a semblance of what life was like inside of the castle while it was still being used to house the Shogun.

The Siege of Osaka

Freaky Deaky

Osaka Aquarium is one of the largest aquariums in the world, with 11,000 tons of water, also home to one of the largest Pacific tanks and a whale shark.  I like sea creatures because they look really strange.  It's almost like going to the circus or walking on the boardwalk at coney island.

What are you?

not freaky.  just coral

Grow some limbs.

no face

clown fish

Highs and Lows

When we weren't busy mingling underwater, Caroline and I were spending our time going to top of things.  Such things being the Umeda Sky Building and the world's (2nd) largest Ferris Wheel.

You ascend from the 35th floor to the 40th floor on an escalator that spans the gap between the two buildings.

The Ferris Wheel wasn't as scary as we wanted it to be.  It was so smooth that we hardly noticed when we'd reached the top.  Not as exciting as the one in Chicago where 40 mph winds are peppering the carriage the whole way round.

We didn't ride this but I wanted to post a picture of the half roller coaster/half Ferris Wheel that was situated on top of a 5 story building.