this is the mote around the osaka castle.
and here is the castle....its actually been destroyed and rebuilt. it was beautiful, but it just wasn't as exciting to know it was not the original castle.
this is the view of the city from the top of the castle. something i love about japan is that it is a modern and advanced country but it still holds fast to it's traditions. right in the middle of a huge metropolis you can find this very traditional castle. and its very common to find shinto shrines and temples nestled in between the modern buildings.
ok, so i wouldn't call this a highlight, it was more of an inconvenience. my apologies to anyone who finds it offensive that i would post this picture. but i wanted to show something that has been a real pain in the neck for me. some of the toilets here are just porcelain bowls that are actually set down into the floor. uh, hello! what the heck!? most public toilets we came across were similar to this one. but this toilet at least was on a raised platform so it was a bit easier for me to handle. (though i found out later that i actually did it all wrong.) this was the toilet in a restaurant we ate at. not all public toilets are like this. in fact, some are way nice! but, i was unfortunate most of the time.
we spent a day in kyoto, which is about an hour away from osaka by train. we went to this artesan museum and shop and they had these cool samurai suits of armor there.
i really enjoyed osaka. i loved being in the big city and the subway and train system there is very efficient and easy. i hope that i will have the chance to go again and see more. the people there were very friendly. many times my roommate and i were standing with looks on our faces that showed we were not quite sure where we were or where we were going. someone always approached and asked if they could help. lucky for us, more people in osaka speak english than in kanonji. i was happy to experience that part of the world and see more of this beautiful country i am living in.
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