Osaka, Japan

We’re in Osaka, Japan, now, which is nice, but I’m having trouble convincing the internet here that I actually want English and I don’t speak or read Japanese, so I don’t know if I’m going to be able to keep up this blog while we are here.

Yesterday we visited Osaka Castle.

Its history goes back to the 16th century, but it has burned down and been rebuilt several times.

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We have actually been here 4 days, but two of them are just a blur, as I came down with a bad cold.  I was quite unhappy about that, but one can’t expect to go around the world and not have some troubles like that. The cold started on the day we left Beijing- Wednesday. I wasn’t expecting it, so didn’t have my zicam handy. I started taking it as soon as we landed in Osaka. I rested mostly Thursday, but was pretty miserable Friday. By Saturday I was much better and went out in the afternoon with Jim. Sunday I was over it and feel fine today. Although we have been out and I’ve carried my camera with me I didn’t take any pictures until we got to the castle yesterday.

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Osaka castle has two moats—the outer one with water in it and the inner one is dry.

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Here we are leaving the castle grounds and heading back into the city of Osaka.  The castle is right in the middle of the city.

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We walked along the river and then crossed to an island, which has the city hall and offices and some gardens on it.

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Here is a side view of the City Hall.  The sun was in the wrong place to get a photo of the front of the building.

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These are real flowers—blooming in January. It is a bit warmer here than it was in Beijing, though it is still definitely winter.

Comments

Heidi said…
I have been to this castle, and really enjoyed it. Susan (a fellow AI spouse) and I actually used free bicycles to ride there and back. I think the train station is quite a ways away from the castle so the bikes saved us many blocks of walking on a very hot day. We rode all around the castle outside the moat on bikes too. It was fun, and fun to see photos and be reminded of it all. Thanks!
January 23, 2012 at 8:11 AM
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