Just like Day 4, today is another day of guided touring but in Osaka. Our first stop was Shitennoji Temple. It is said that this is the oldest Buddhist temple in Japan built around 593.
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| Shitennoji Temple |
We were only able to enter the outer temple grounds. Apparently, another place to visit is the Gokuraku-jodo Garden which is located inside the grounds. I only discovered this inner temple area as I'm writing this post.
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| Entering the Osaka Castle grounds |
From Shitennoji Temple, we went to our last historical stop - the Osaka Castle. Walking towards the Osaka Castle was a very nice experience. You will pass by a moat to enter the grounds. On the opposite side, you can enjoy the scenery of lush gardens.
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| Spring is in the air |
Once you enter the complex, you can already see the castle from afar. I was excited every step we walked closer to it.
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| Osaka Castle |
Make your way inside the castle and get to the top floor. From there, you can view the rest of Osaka.
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| Osaka Castle |
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| View from the top |
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| Token of my visit |
Lunch was already nearing so we had to go already.
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| Osaka Castle |
For our lunch, we headed to the port area. We had buffet lunch in one of the buildings there. Food was just right but the view was killer!
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| Port area in Osaka |
During the afternoon, we went to Umeda Sky Building. This officially marks the last stop of our guided tour.
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| Umeda Sky Building |
We went straight to the Floating Garden located 173 meters above. It was so cold when we reached the open area.
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| View from the Floating Garden |
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| View from the Floating Garden |
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| Love locks |
Another souvenir token for me!
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| Token of my visit |
Though our guided trip has already ended, our driver was nice enough to drop us to Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan. Only 4 of us went out of our group of 15. If there are only two things I can do on a trip, it would be temple touring and aquariums.
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| Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan |
The place is huge spanning several floors. The variety of marine animals alone is worth the visit. The highlight of the visit however, is the large tank that features an actual whale shark. I believe this was my very first time to see one in real life.
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| Whale shark |
I also enjoyed their jellyfish tanks.
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| Jellyfish |
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| Jellyfish |
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| Jellyfish |
There's also a semi-open area where you can see seals and other marine animals. They can see you as well!
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| Seal |
After our aquarium tour, we headed back to Umeda for dinner. I think I've eaten tempura at least once a day during this trip.
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| Dinner time |
The young ones decided to head out after dinner. We found an area with drinking places about 15-20 minutes away from our hotel. Our first stop was drinks at a classic whiskey bar.
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| Whiskey bar |
After a few glasses of good 18-21 year old whiskies, we went to another bar that serves yakitori.
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| Kawa (chicken skin) |
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| Niniku (garlic) |
I order some niniku (garlic) and kawa (chicken skin) to go along with my beer.
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| We had some beer and yakitori here |
- Just Another Wanderer
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