Twenty-second day in Japan

 

Getting ready to go inside the aquarium before the storm hits

The last of the "Amber's Day" trio of Kansai 関西 outings saw us traveling on an uncomfortably humid Monday from Kyōto 京都 to Ōsaka 大阪, where the designer manhole covers lined the way to our first destination:

And that destination was Osaka-jō Castle 大阪城:

Even though it's a 1931 concrete reconstruction of the original 1583 structure, the castle is still a dramatic sight:

We had to wait in a line to buy tickets and go inside (a first for me, considering on my two previous visits in 1992 and circa 2003 there were no crowds as such to deal with). Surprisingly, however, there was only a handful of visitors on the 8th-floor observation deck, despite the impressive views to be had:

Other floors have displays on the history of the castle, and on the man who first ordered its construction, Toyotomi Hideyoshi 豊臣秀吉:

A portrait of Ryōma Sakamoto 坂本龍馬:

The mythical Shachihoko 鯱, often seen on the roofs of Japanese castles to protect the fortresses from fires:

Stopping for a sandwich and a cold drink on the way to Destination #2:

No, not the Zhao Shang Yi Dun 招商伊敦, berthed at the Tempōzan-Osaka Cruise Terminal 天保山客船ターミナル…:

…but the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyūkan 海遊館, easily one of the best in Japan. In a case of astonishingly good timing on our parts, we made it inside just as a short but ferocious squall hit Osaka's port area:

Visitors wind their way down an 800-meter-long walkway that takes them around the Pacific Ring of Fire:

This poor worker could not shake off a coati from looking through his hair for something to eat:

Fish representing Japan's Inland Sea 瀬戸内海:

By far the most impressive of all the exhibits is the gigantic central tank, housing two whale sharks among the thousands of fish swimming about:

We were there for feeding time, watching as these behemoths seemingly gulp down tons of water at a time:

Ignoring the rays and sharks while cleaning the giant tank:

In addition to the whale sharks (and penguins and otters), Amber was also fascinated with the huge crabs:

My daughter took a lot of photos, some of which (the ones immediately below) she shared with me. She was especially taken with this adorable seal:

Naturally she had to pick up a few items from the aquarium gift shop to add to her growing Japanese trinket collection:

From Osaka, we returned to Kyoto to visit the Kawaramachi 河原町 area:

For dinner, we took an Italian route, via an atmospheric little restaurant called Caldo. When we first entered, the hostess appeared worried, taking pains to emphasize they served only pasta, not pizza. Which was no problem as I was in the mood for some Japanese-style carbonara. I can only assume they had had a prior difficult encounter with some foreign tourists who didn't want spaghetti:

Following dinner, Amber had her first taste of a Japanese summer festival, as a small procession made its way along Shijō-dōri 市場通り:

Dessert at koé donuts:

I could retire in Kyoto, and spend the rest of my days (and most of my pension money) buying vintage Hawaiian shirts at cool shops like this one:

Our evening concluded with a stroll along Ponto-chō 先斗町, still managing to retain most of its atmosphere despite the hordes of foreign tourists looking for whatever images of traditional Japan they've been given by anime and guidebooks:

The castle, aquarium, and back streets and shopping arcades of Kyoto are all places I've experienced in the past (some on several occasions), but on this visit it's been refreshing to see them again through the eyes of my daughter, who pronounced that it was all "cool".