Day 15 - Historical Osaka

Breakfast was on the fly today at a small cafe in the train state. We each had two pastries (chocolate cream horn and melon bun for Lisa, while Jon sampled a double cream croissant and a peach danish), a coffee (Jon) and a Royal Milk tea (Lisa). This was an excellent choice.

Although impressive from the outside, insiders note that Osaka Castle isn't worth the entrance fee. The grounds however, are lovely. We strolled through the gardens and visited the “Pine tree on the branch of which Priest Rennyo put his clothes”. Today all that remains in the stump, but still an interesting historical artifact in the history of the castle.

For lunch, we found a local unagi (grilled bbq eel) restaurant. We each got a meal set, which included grilled bbq eel over rice, and sides of soup and pickles. It was delicious and everything Jon had hoped for in an unagi set restaurant. The eel was fresh and succulent, and the sauce was a sweet soy glaze. We both spiced it up a bit with ground sansho pepper.

Featuring three floors of creatively designed exhibits, the Osaka History Museum was a gem. The first floor (which is actually the 10th floor) features a partial reconstruction of the Daigokuden (or main hall) of the Nara Period Naniwa Palace. The remainder of the exhibit walks visitors through the archeological remains of Naniwa Palace. From the corner of the floor there is an excellent view of Osaka Castle and grounds. Going down a level, we entered Osaka during the Edo period where the museum had created many scale miniature models of the city, factory, and temple grounds. The models were quite large in their sprawling set design, showing each displaying multiple city blocks and how regions of Osaka looked during the Edo times. The models were based on source documents, including woodblock prints like the ones we've seen during our hiking trip. The final floor is a very fast look at Osaka's modernization in the Meiji era (19th-early 20th century) and into the Osaka we know today.

A quick train ride across town brought us to the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan. Kaiyukan’s exhibits are themed around marine life from the Pacific Rim region. There are 14 exhibition zones that recreate different marine environments, from polar regions to tropical seas. The large cylindrical tank inside the aquarium allows visitors to observe marine life from a 360-degree perspective, offering a unique experience. This tank contains whale sharks, manta rays, hammerhead and tiger sharks. We got to see Asian Small Clawed otters and white dolphins at play. Easily a 3 hour visit and that's without display screens to read!

For the first time all trip we had a disappointing meal. Not that food was bad, just that we paid waaay too much for what we got. Kushikatsu is a dish originating from Osaka, consisting of vegetables, meat, and fish skewered on sticks, coated in breadcrumbs, and deep-fried. It's typically eaten with sauce Ours was the higher end - tuna belly, wagyu beef, foie gras, shitake mushroom, etc. And it was tasty, but for something that would be overpriced at $10 at the State Fair, it was highway robbery at what we paid. Lesson learned. Stay in line for cheap but tasty ramen.

The next two days are wild cards as they’re supposed to be day trips but the weather isn’t on our side for outdoor activities.

Who took it best - Osaka Castle?