20231014 AAAA Trip - Osaka, Japan - Old and new, a castle and a view

2023 Alaska, Asia, Australia, Arabian Peninsula Trip 
Day 28/105 - Osaka, Japan - Osaka Castle and Umeda Sky Buiding

This morning, we docked in Osaka, Japan's third largest city after Tokyo and Yokohama.  The port was a mix of industrial and tourist docking areas.

This is a seriously large wheel

Our first stop on the Osaka Highlights tour was Osaka Castle. Originally built in the late 1500s, it has been destroyed, rebuilt, burned, and rebuilt several times, most recently in 1931.  It was heavily renovated in 1997 giving us the castle we see today.

A few cherry blossoms are in bloom

One of the guard houses on the wall over the large moat

The castle is just peeking above the trees

Massive gate doors guard the castle

The stones that form the base of the walls are enormous

Not surprisingly, there is a Shinto shrine here

A series of 200 steps take you from the entry to the 8th level.  

Lucky for me, and my knee, there was an elevator and I was lucky enough to catch a ride as Arlona hoofed the stairs.  The views from the top were nice and let you see all over Osaka.

View 360-degree photo

View 360-degree photo

View 360-degree photo

We walked down from the top, looking at the displays on each floor about the history of the castle.

Another massive door at the exit

From the castle, we made our way to the Umeda Sky Building. 

One more "FUN" and we'd have a Beach Boys song...

Completed in 1993, it consists of two towers connected at their topmost levels.  The open-air atrium has glassed-in escalators and a bridge.  

The escalators

The first level provides limited views.

Scarecrows guarding crops right in town

Elevators take you near the top where a glassed-in observation and dining area provides views.

This little dude was 39 floors up on the glass - wow!

The very top is an open-air observation platform called KUCHU TEIEN that offers 360-degree panoramic views of Osaka.

Arlona with her crown - or is it a halo

Look at all that rain in the distance

These towers and cranes were near our ship

There was a small shop - we're not sure if these are octopus-flavored ships

We cut through a building on the way to the bus - a security robot was on patrol

This beautiful living wall was near the bus parking lot - note the living heart to the right of the main opening

After lunch on the ship, we wandered across the port to a small mall.  It was mostly geared for kids with clothing and toys plus a bunch of eateries.  We got back on the ship in advance of our 4 p.m. mandatory onboard time and caught the port talk on Hiroshima before heading to the Explorers' Bar to meet up with our friends, Jon & Margo.

We're making it an easy evening tonight.  We sail overnight to Hiroshima, docking tomorrow at 2 p.m. We have an afternoon tomorrow and a full day on Monday in Hiroshima.  Tune in tomorrow for the happenings.