Day 11: 11 April 2009 (Osaka)

LOCATION: CENTRAL OSAKA AND OSAKA BAY
MOOD: ADVENTUROUS
LISTENING TO: DJ DANGER MOUSE – THE GREY ALBUM

BACK TO THE FUTURE:

The first place on my list today was Osaka castle. It's in the same neighbourhood as the Osaka Museum of History, so I figured I'd hit them both in the morning. Osaka castle made for a pleasant stroll, although it wasn't quite on the same level as Himeji castle. What was most striking about the imagery at Osaka castle was its location in downtown Osaka, right near the massive NHK building and the municipal government offices. Standing in front of the castle and seeing the skyscrapers in the background really made me wonder whether the present was intruding on the past, or the other way round.

Osaka castle. The colour scheme fits the mood of the city; either unique or gaudy, depending on your taste.

...but I'm sure that everyone can agree on sakura blossoms.
(Is anybody getting sick of these yet? I'm sure not.)

I found this random time capsule within the palace grounds, in the same compound as the actual castle. It was buried in 1970 and is supposed to opened again in 6970. Only in Osaka, I suppose.

I took a walk around the castle grounds, but seeing as I had just been to Himeji castle a few days before I decided to give the actual inside of the castle a miss and headed instead for the Osaka Museum of History. I figured that it was about time to give my brain a workout after a week and a half of Japanese TV, eating and photography.

Welcome to the NHK! This is probably the closest that I'll ever get to actually being on TV.

The museum had an interesting layout; you start out at the top floor and work your way down, with each floor representing a different period in Osaka's history. Apparently Osaka was once the first capital of Japan, although back then it was called Naniwa. Of course when the seat of imperial power shifted they just dismantled the palace and the surrounding buildings and shipped it to its new home in Asuka. I'm sure the fact that Osaka was the first capital will give Osakans no shortage of ammunition when they argue with their Tokyo brethren over which city is superior. Can you imagine if Melbourne had been the capital of Australia, only to lose the title to Sydney?

Live from the set of MTV Cribs: Medieval Oriental Edition!

For some reason whenever I'm around these little panoramas I always think of Warhammer.

Honey, I shrunk the neighbourhood.
(Come on, give me a break. How many witty captions can you come up with for miniaturised historical exhibits?)

Now this is what I came for. Almost had a Kill Bill moment here.

It's nice to know that the 1930s were dry and lifeless the world over.

FISH, FERRIS WHEELS AND FIRE JUGGLERS:

After I had finished up at the museum it was halfway through the afternoon, so I headed for the Osaka Bay area. You could really spend a whole day if you wanted to, but I just hit up the big sites. The first thing you notice after exiting the station is the giant ferris wheel, which is apparently the largest in the world. I was considering taking a spin, but seeing as I had already shelled out for the Umeda Sky Building a few days ago I figured I'd give it a miss. That and the fact that riding a ferris wheel by yourself is kind of like riding a tandem bike by yourself.

Nothing like a giant ferris wheel to remind you that you're single.

Of course a trip to the aquarium may cheer you up.

And if that doesn't work, the beer museum is just around the corner.

The other two main attractions in the bay area are the Osaka Aquarium and the Suntory beer museum. By the time I arrived there really wasn't enough time to see either, so I just took happy snaps. I may head back later if I have enough time. I've heard the aquarium is especially impressive, and the whole idea of a beer museum just makes me curious.

I was looking for a picture that properly conveyed the awesomeness of the bay area. Yep, found it.

Apart from the lack of time, one of the main reasons I didn't go into the aquarium was that there was ample entertainment outside: a local busker had set up shop and had gathered a decent size crowd for his show. It turned out that he was from Tokyo, although from his getup it looked like he'd become quite accustomed to life in Osaka. He was an excellent entertainer and I was pretty chuffed that I was able to catch most of his jokes and banter with the crowd. He tried to finish his show with an overly ambitious stunt which he said he had never tried before, and although I initially thought it was just standard industry bluster it soon turned out to be true as he eventually failed after numerous attempts. Still tipped him though; the rest of the show had been pretty entertaining.

That's pretty much as far as he got with this stunt.