Today was a nice expedition for us. We went to the Osaka Castle. The place is massive and it is in the midst of a huge park called Osaka Castle Park. There is also a river in the park, adjacent to the Castle. On the route to the castle is a pine tree where a Buddhist monk, Rennyo, hung his robe as a relic. Legend says that he did this for the prosperity of his clan. Today there is a monument built right next to the very tree. The Castle is about 9 floors high and there is a nice observatory on the top. Here is a picture:
Inside the Castle is a huge museum all about the history of the castle, the various kings who ruled from there, and the city in general. Since a lot of the exhibits were explained in Japanese, we were given English audio guides. The place was built by a nobleman, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, in the 16th Century. And he was the son of a beggar! His inspiring life story was also portrayed in the museum.
The castle was the subject of many controversies. Two wars were also fought for it.
Another interesting aspect of this place was the time capsule that was buried 20 m in the ground in front of the castle in an expo that was held here in 1970. The terms of when to open the capsule were pretty simple: at the beginning of every century and a special capsule, protected by the most extensive security measures, which is to be opened only on the 1st of January, 6970.
After that, we went to the banks of the Dotombōri River. There are hundreds of exclusive stores in and around the area.
The Dotombōri walking street
To be continued.....
Coming next: The Tempozan Ferris Wheel
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