This morning we were treated to a lovely sleep-in after our distinct lack of sleep during the previous 36 hours. Bliss! After creeping out of bed, waiting for an additional hour and then rustling up the young-uns, we headed off for the short walk to Osaka Station (not Osaka-Shin Station) and took the train on the Osaka Loop line to Bentencho Station, where we walked a short distance to the Chuo Line, catching the train to the Osakako Station.
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| Walking down our street |
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| Jen was extremely excited to see Elmo on a train |
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| Lining up for the next train |
We are getting used to the train system, except, one peculiarity is that some of the trains and lines are owned and operated by private contractors and some aren't. We purchased a week-long ticket, which allows us to take trains on J2 lines. This includes the Shinkansen (or Bullet Trains). Taking the Chuo Line, means paying for separate tickets, not expensive, but cumbersome. Anyway...after arriving at Osakako Station, we walked to our destination, the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan is an aquarium located in the ward of Minato, near Osaka Bay. It is one of the largest public aquariums in the world. However, before we got there, we decided to try traditional Japanese breakfast cuisine, from 7-Eleven (of course). We had an array of fine breakfast fare including; Pizza Steam Buns, Dagwood Dogs and Strange Sushi, none of which we knew when we bought it.
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| 7-Eleven Breakfast on the side of the road |
We then headed to the Tempozan Market Place which is situated right beside the Aquarium.
On the other side of Tempozan Plaza is the amazingly huge Tempozan Ferris Wheel, but wheel get to that later (get it? wheel).
After a quick lap of Tempozan Market Place, specifically the Lego Discovery Centre, we headed to Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan.
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| Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan |
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| Swimming with the Whale Sharks |
The collection of sea creatures in this place is mind-boggling; however, the pinnacle of the sea creatures on display (and the reason we came), is the giant Whale Sharks, which swim majestically in the Pacific Ocean Tank. A giant escalator tokes you to the top of the building and a spiral walkway, gradually takes you down past 15 separate tanks including the already mentioned Pacific Ocean Tank. They have everything from Otters to Hammer-Head Sharks and 8680 other species in-between.
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| Enormous Crabs |
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| You should always be scared when there's a Groper nearby |
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| Cute Otters |
We spent far too much time there and realised that there wasn't enough time to take on the Tempozan Ferris Wheel, which was a pity because the Tempozan Ferris Wheel has a height of 112.5 metres (369 ft) and diameter of 100 metres (330 ft). After a quick bite for lunch, we headed back to Osakako Station taking the Chuo Line to Tanimachiyonchome Station and walked to Osaka Castle.
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| Japan Post |
Osaka Castle was built in 1583 by Toyotomi Hideyoshia preeminent warrior, general, samurai, and politician of the time.The main tower of Osaka Castle is situated on a roughly one square kilometre of land and is surrounded by moats, some with water, some without. The main building is eight stories tall, and we took the steps.
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| Osaka Castle |
The view from the top was magnificent and really highlighted the beautiful autumn colours.
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| The view towards where we are staying |
Interestingly, during World War II, Osaka Castle became one of the largest military armories, employing 60,000 workers. Bombing raids targeting the arsenal damaged the main castle tower and, on August 14, 1945, destroyed 90% of the arsenal and killed 382 people working there. In 1995, Osaka's government approved yet another restoration project, with the intent of restoring the main tower to its original splendor. In 1997, the restoration was completed. The castle is now a concrete reproduction (including elevators) of the original and the interior houses a museum. After spending some time in Osaka Castle and the beautiful surrounding grounds, we headed for Morinomiya Station and caught the train back to the Osaka Station.
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| Stretch Limo Golf Buggy |
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| The moat around Osaka Castle |
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| Loving the beautiful Autumn colours |
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| Osaka Castle Park |
On the way back to our apartment, we stopped for dinner at Oshika Otani Tenjin Restaurant, which specialises in Seafood.
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| Dinner at Oshika Otani Restaurant |
