Our apologies for falling so far behind in keeping our blog postings current! But, alas, our time here is beginning to grow short and we will begin to catch up. Kyoto and Osaka, two of Japan’s largest cities, seem to form one enormous metropolitan area that is held together by lots of rail systems. For our first day out and about, we decided to tackle Osaka with a guide.
Osaka castle tower is largely a reconstruction due to an eventful past, but with use as a museum in mind. Nonetheless, it is well worth a visit. The grounds and walls are really nice and the stories are compelling. The main story is about Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who rose from nothing to be the first ruler to unify Japan, establishing the castle in 1583. By 1600, his son and successor had been defeated by the Tokugawa clan, who took over the castle. Hideyoshi was a fascinating figure who enjoyed his nickname of Saru (“monkey”) and built a golden tearoom. Of course, a golden tearoom misses the point of the aesthetic of the tea ceremony where wabi sabi (“the beauty of things imperfect and incomplete”) focuses on the subtle and simple.
It was worth 300 yen for a chance to take this photo inside Osaka castle.
Next to the castle is a shrine dedicated to Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
Kyle was able to join us for lunch: crab in all the possible formats a Japanese chef can dream up.
Hey, it was very good!
We took the opportunity to explore a shopping area with our guide and Kyle. We were tempted to buy something for Momo at a pet store. Unfortunately, the dog kimonos weren’t quite big enough for her. Having a guide with us made shopping infinitely easier and well informed. Limited signage in roman lettering and limited English skills among shopkeepers means that you have to be a pretty decent charades player to engage in anything other than the most straightforward give and take when buying things.