Day 12 A day out in Osaka

We had a more leisurely start today then caught the metro and train to Osaka. It's polite to be silent onboard, bizarrely sniffing is polite too, eating whist walking is not. We are certainly discovering lots about etiquette!

We arrived in Osaka, emerging from the station there were many tall buildings and some art pieces

We visited the Umeda Sky Building, built in 1993 it has 40 floors, consists of two towers linked by glass bridges with escalators and a large circular observation deck at the top.

After queuing for the lift, we took the unusual looking escalator to the 39th floor

Then walked up a flight of stairs to the 40th floor where we had some spectacular views

There's an area where you can buy a padlock and attach it to these railings on the 40th floor. We just had a photo taken instead!

Had a cuppa and a cake, with a view of the river Yodo, in the cafe on the 39th floor

Then caught a local train to Osaka Castle, after some help from a train staff member who actually walked us to our platform when we asked for directions! We had some lunch before going in to the castle, just sandwiches and chips, but all handmade to order, we have eaten so well in Japan that's for sure

As we approached the castle lots of people were sitting under the cherry blossom trees eating picnics, its called 'Hanami', which involves gathering with friends and family to appreciate the beauty of the Sakura trees. They must have been freezing!

 Lots of food stalls

The castle, which was last rebuilt in 1931

Saw another two couples having wedding photos taken. We learnt from our tour guide yesterday that many couples do this sometime after the wedding, often marrying in less popular months as it's cheaper.

We decided against queuing to get into the keep and just wandered around, plenty of good views

 Some of the stones in the castle walls are enormous

Another local train ride took us to Shitennoji Temple, regarded as the first Buddhist Temple in Japan, though it has been reconstructed many times over the centuries. 

 

Indeed it's undergoing some reconstruction at the moment

We hopped back on the train and headed for the Dotonbori district, where we had a very nice dinner at another open kitchen restaurant

Walked around soaking in the evening atmosphere afterward, the streets packed with people as always

Then made our way back to the hotel by train. Late back after a long but excellent day.