Osaka Castle

I had originally planned on taking a very ambitious trip up to a nearby mountain, but for some reason really didn't want to take a long train journey today. So instead, I stayed in town and visited a local attraction: Osaka Castle. But first I stopped to have a filling breakfast, of course!

My hearty breakfast: English muffin, fried egg, banana, and tea!

Osaka-Jo is a very famous castle, one that played a major historical role back in the sixteenth century. This was no luxury building though; it was built for wartime, with thick high walls and a wide moat to keep intruders out.

Osaka Castle in the distance. From the outer park area, it took almost
15 minutes to walk to the castle proper.

Japanese people and their funny tree trimming. :)

Getting closer! These are the outer walls, with a wide moat in between.

Finally there! Although it's a reconstruction, the
outside of the castle looks pretty yet imposing.

It cost 600 yen to enter the castle itself, which stores some historical artifacts. I paid and went in, although I don't know if it was exactly worth the money since most of the audio commentary was in Japanese and photos weren't allowed on several floors. It was still cool though, to see old wartime letters that were exchanged between armies, with lots of political maneuverings and betrayals thrown in.

There was an observatory on top of the castle that provided a nice view of downtown Osaka:

Hilariously, a visitor can also pay an extra 300 yen to dress up in a samurai costume and have their picture taken. There were a surprising number of Chinese tourists; I may have heard more Mandarin inside the castle than I did Japanese. The funniest thing I overheard today though was in Cantonese. An obviously from Hong Kong tourist was taking a picture of some random tree, and commented to their companion that it had some medicinal use. Then she expressed surprise that the mainland tourists had not stolen all of it already. I could not help but giggle as I passed by!

This was a rather short excursion, but I'm still glad I got to see one of Osaka's more famous landmarks. My Golden Week vacation is now half over already! I have a few more day trips I'd like to make, so let's hope the weather holds up!