Japan Photo Diary: Osaka

It's taken me almost 2 weeks to get round to finally uploading my Japan trip photos, but here they are! I though I'd split them into cities we visited, so first up is Osaka, then Nara, Hiroshima, Kyoto and finally Tokyo. The posts will be spread out over the next two weeks, so there's not too much of a photo overload! Happy reading :)

 

If you want to see some beautiful Japanese architect then I'd definitely recommed Osaka Castle. It's my favourite from the whole trip, mainly because all the other ones we'd visited had burnt down (it's a running theme with castles and temples in Japan.) You pay about £6 to get in, spend 7 floors looking at the history of Osaka then reach the top floor to beautiful views. 

 

Tsutenkaku Tower, which advertises Hitachi.

Even though it was still a bit chilly in Osaka, the parks were so beautiful and kept very well.

 Namba Yasaka Shrine is right next to a beautiful temple, but this shrine is said to have been built in the 5th century (the current one was built in 1974 after bombing in WW2) The lion's mouth is said to swallow malevolent spirits and attract good luck too.

Most temples have two lion heads (Komainu) guarding the outside: one with a open mouth and the other with a closed mouth with symobolic buddist meanings.

 

Osaka is pretty cool at night. There's various towers and a few ferris wheels you can take to catch the views.

 

Obviously sushi is in abundance here, and the spin top resturants were my favourite. Take off however much you like from the belt and you can also order what you like from the menu. Each plate is colour coded with a different price, then the waitresses just add them up at the end for your bill. There were also hot water taps for your green tea too, which I'm now addicted to!

 

At most temples you can write your wishes on a ema (votive picture tablet) and hang it outside the temple to make your wish come true. There wasn't just japense writing either! At this particular shrine, the Tsuyunoten Shrine, is known for having a double suicide in 1703 of a young couple which is now told through a puppet play, so the shrine is said to have the power to bless people with relationships. 

  

Standing along some tori gates at Tsuyunoten Shrine!

 

As it was the middle-end of March, cherry blossom had just started so we saw quite a few buds at the temples.

 

We visited the Shitennohi Temple on a Sunday where they had a massive flea market with lots of food, clothes and traditional japanese crafts too. This was the first Buddhist and oldest officially administered temple in Japan - which was pretty cool!

I had to narrow down the photos here, but I hope you got a snippet of Osaka :) Next up will be Nara, so stay tuned for that.

Thanks for reading!

Rhiannon x

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