Pessimism is a losing strategy. Leadership demands both confidence and optimism in abundance.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi
It’s undeniable that Osaka Castle is a famous landmark — I would be a failure of a tourist if I didn’t visit the area. I went early in the morning to enjoy the nature and parks around it as well. Osaka is really loud in the morning, not the people, but the thousands of cicadas and crickets (I think) buzzing in the summer morning was deafening. I don’t know where I entered from, but it was a pretty empty place. The breeze was nice, there weren’t any sounds of an urban lifestyle and the castle walls faced me in all directions. The park ran alongside the castle moat too — it was exactly like a scene from the movies, I was a princess (probably peasant actually) walking towards my castle, or something like that.
As I headed around the park, I entered one of the seven hells — the Tourist Drop. I can’t really judge, I’m a tourist too. But the endless rows of tour buses were parked in the busy parking lot and there were so many different tourist groups with people from every corner of the world. Right next to the parking lots started the tourist traps. There were stalls selling big and various shapes of fruits like ginormous apples and square watermelons for about $10 per fruit. Walking along the trail, a mall of some sort appeared. It was filled with little shops that sold souvenirs and iconic Osaka foods like matcha ice cream, which I totally fell for. We continued walking down and entered the more traditional area. There was a well (the Gimmeisui Well) that has been standing since the Edo period in the kitchen as a source of drinking water from officials. Pretty cool, I pretty much met with the officials of the Edo Period.
Finally, I made it to the castle. Oh it’s so beautiful. Walking towards it on the paved path whipped me back into the 1600s, I was an army official making my way towards an important meeting. Although, climbing the steps up towards the castle ruined the immersion a bit, I don’t think the army officials took breaks while climbing up a few flights of steps. There was an elevator, but the army officials were a lot cooler than that.
There were seven floors in the castle, each showing a different moment of the castle in history. I couldn’t take many pictures but it was super fun learning more about the Japanese war lords and vassals that I’ve heard about for so long. People like Oba Nobunga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu were talked about in detail, it was like their personalities were coming to life. There were visuals and diagrams showing the building and different phases of the Osaka Castle. Baby Osaka Castle was adorable.
After walking around for a bit and then visiting Nishinomaru Garden, I headed towards the Shitennoji Temple.
Then moving onto the Tennoji area. I visited the Osaka Art Museum, not the architecturally impressive one, just a small, traditional one with art beyond my comprehension. Moving on, there was a small red bridge connecting to the Tennoji area that led us to places like the Tennoji Zoo, small restuarants, etc. I ended up at a modernly-decorated place that served lunch-like items. There was a bread buffet and drink bar (non-alcoholic, just a lot of juice) that came along with an amazing meal.
There was also a small grocery store next door that sold fruits and vegetables grown by the local farmers. There were pictures and little information about the farmers and caretakers of the food plastered all over the walls. It’s nice that many Japanese grocery stores sold local items to support the agriculture industry.
During the evening, we headed to the Shinsekai area for its nightlife. I ate some takoyaki and wandered around the area. I loved the lanterns that ligned the streets, it meshed so well with the neon lights, similarly, the modern buildings harmonized so well alongside the traditional Japanese places.
After a hearty (& risky) meal and a great walk around the streets, I headed towards the Tsukenkaku Tower. I had no intention of going up, seeing it light up was good enough for me.
Ivy In Japan 