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.

Hiroshima

Hiroshima.  The name alone carries a weight that's grown heavier since my visit, but I'm not going to use an internet blog as a podium to speak out against war or nuclear weapons or horrific acts of violence.  The Peace Museum did an excellent job painting the full picture, not solely focusing on the horrors of the bomb and it's aftermath, but also denouncing the atrocities carried out by an imperialistic Japan.  The museum simply presented the facts and I aim to do the same thing.

In the picture above, you can see the Atomic Bomb Dome, which stands about 500 feet away from the bomb's hypocenter.  The skeletal remains of this building, where all of the people inside were instantly vaporized, is the most recognizable symbol of Hiroshima and The Bomb.

"Practically all living things, human and animal, were literally seared to death"

-Japanese radio broadcast

-- The radius of complete and utter destruction was 1 mile

-- Fires covered close to 5 sq miles and ravaged the city

-- Almost 70% of the city's buildings were completely destroyed

-- 70,000-80,000 people, roughly 30% of the city's population, were killed**

**This was the worst statistic for me.  Most people are led to believe that the bomb instantly killed it's victims.  This is false.  Most people suffered for 2 or 3 days before succumbing to their injuries and the injuries were horrific.  The fireball that swept through the city burned some people alive, melted flesh, flash burned dyes from clothing into skin.  The photos were horrific and difficult to look at.  Because of the hypocenter's proximity to downtown, 90% of the city's doctors and nurses were killed instantly.  Of the 80,000 casualties, only 20,000 were soldiers, the rest were women, school children, the elderly, and Korean laborers.

Although the museum offered some harrowing tales and images of the victims, it's true mission is imagining a world without nuclear weapons.  Whenever a country carries out a nuclear test, Hiroshima's mayor writes a letter of protest to that country's head of state, pleading for disarmament.

-- This part was particularly embarrassing as the US dominated this section with 232 letters total, nearly 50 greater than the next highest total, Russia, (though only a handful of letters have gone to Russia since the Cold War ended, the US remains consistent).  

-- In one term, Obama's presidency has accumulated only one less letter than G.W. Bush did in two terms.

-- Only 4 countries received letters since the year 2000, USA (16), Russia (4), UK (2), DPRK (3).

-- Both Iraq and Iran have never received a letter of protest

The United States and Russia are the only two states with significantly large numbers of stockpiled nuclear weapons, (no doubt because of the Cold War).  

-- The US has approx 2150 active weapons

-- Russia has approx 1740 active weapons

-- No other country has more than 300 (France)

-- To this day, both Iraq and Iran have 0 active or inactive nuclear warheads

-- It's believed that Israel has approx 300, though they continually refuse to confirm or deny this

I realize that complete disarmament would require a very specific level of peaceful existence between nations; one that has probably never existed for as long as man has been civilized. But after viewing the atrocities of The Bomb, (which has evolved into an even more calculated machine of death and destruction), I hope we never witness those horrors again.  

Nara -- (Also, Kyoto)

Before relocating to Kyoto, Nara was Japan's capital city from 710-784 AD.  The city was heavily influenced by Buddhism and currently houses the largest number of National Treasures in Japan.  Seeing as it was only a 40 minute trip from Kyoto, Caroline and I decided to spend a day in the old capital.

We did make one final stop in Kyoto at Fushimi Inari Shrine.  The shrine was built in honor of Inari, the Japanese fox goddess, (it's said that the fox spirits are able to posses people by slipping in through their fingernails).  The path leading to the hilltop is lined with hundreds of red torii, (shinto gates).  I removed all of my finger nails before we entered the shrine so I remain unpossessed.   

Onward to Nara.  Our first stop was Todai-ji.  The main attraction at Todai is Diabutsu, the largest Buddha statue in Japan and one of the largest in the world. Diabutsu spends all of his time inside of Daibutsu-den, the largest wooden building in the world.

Just outside of of the Diabutsu-den sits Yakushi Nyorai, Buddha of medicine and healing. You're encouraged to touch the statue and then touch that same part of your own body in order to heal your ailments.  I'm in perfect working order though, so I skipped this part.

Nara is also home to a large number of "wild" deer.  By home I really mean it was like having a petting zoo follow you around everywhere.  These animals looked gross and mangy and they smelled horrible.  This didn't stop people from petting them, feeding them, playing with them, taking pictures with them, etc.  I was horrified because back home in the great state of Pennsylvania it's pretty common knowledge that deer are full of parasites, (like ticks that carry lyme disease), and I'd never think about letting one hang out next to my ice cream stand:

Anyway, except for mutant rat-deer, Nara was well worth the day trip from Kyoto. We spent the rest of our day walking through Nara Park and stumbling into a few other temples, shrines, and gardens.  

Our vacation had now reached it's halfway point.  Caroline wasn't ready to leave Kyoto, so she ran away and tried to hide.

Ride Kyoto, Ride

While Kyoto's bus system will get you to and from all of the popular attractions, I'd recommend renting a bike and seeing the city like the locals do.  Kyoto is famous for it's cycling culture*. Almost everyone had a bike and almost every sidewalk had a bike lane.  If the sidewalks were busy it was easy to ride in the street, as motorists treated cyclists with an unprecedented, (at least by my experiences in the states), level of respect.

*It's the major form of transport.  I'd caution any visitor to look both ways before exiting onto a sidewalk.

The best part about deciding to ride through Kyoto was the amount of ground we were able to cover, allotting us even more time to explore the city, (Kyoto's streets are based on the grid system, making navigation extremely simple). This was especially critical because we only planned 2.5 days in Kyoto and the main attractions are mostly scattered along the outskirts of the city center.  

We grabbed a map, packed some food, and were on our way.  Here are some of the highlights:

To-ji Temple -- Home to the largest wooden pagoda in Japan.

Heian Shrine -- A scaled down replica of the original Imperial Palace, home to the most beautiful garden in Kyoto, and the last of my "Lost in Translation Destinations". 

Nanzenji Temple -- Where do I even begin?  Tucked away in the eastern hills this temple was a hidden gem.  First of all, the complex was huge...

...with a trail that snaked up into the mountains where there was an assortment of statues, small pagodas, and even a small cave full of candles and incense.  

The second story of the main gate afforded some nice views of the city sprawl as well as some of the surrounding gardens, (which would have cost extra to enter).  

But my favorite part was the old aqueduct...

...which appeared to be in working order...

...and doubled as a foot path.

Ginkakuji -- The Silver Pavilion that isn't very silver.  It was mid-afternoon by the time we made it here so unlike our first three stops, this place was jam packed full of people.

Kinkaku-ji Temple -- Temple of the Golden Pavilion, (which is actually golden unlike it's "silver" counterpart).  This was originally built as a retirement villa for the Shogun in the late 14th century.  Legend* has it that the entire temple is actually made out of chocolate but only the Shogun, (who is dead), has the power to remove the golden foil wrapper.

*no such legend exists

The Golden Pavilion was a mob scene, full of tourists and school children.  We forgot to set our alarms that morning, so we had a late start, and the ride was a little bit further than we anticipated.

And finally, the most integral part of these two days:

      

thanks guys