Before heading home after our trip in Kyoto, we decided to ride the Ferris Wheel in Umeda. The Ferris Wheel itself sits atop a building! so the view was absolutely incredible :) I would highly recommend this as a good night activity in Osaka!
| The next day, we woke up and packed our stuff up in the Hostel and headed out to Osaka Castle. This castle is historically well known as a UNESCO World Heritage site as well as a classical fortress that was very prominent in many battles in Ancient Japan. I found this Castle quite interesting because the architecture and actual space was very well kept and right in the middle of a bustling modern city! The day we visited was particularly hot and there was no air conditioning in the building so this portion was quite tiring (made worse at times by the crowds of tourists also eager to see the castle and its rooftop views of Osaka. |
Only 30 minutes away from Osaka Castle by train is the city of Nara! The city is famously known for its parks of both male and female deer which roam the city's national park area freely. The deer are actually really well trained, though some are quite feisty when you try and feed them deer cookies.
The first place we visited in Nara was the most famous and largest temple in Nara Park. The temple is called Todai-Ji which hosts the one of the largest Buddha statues in the world. This was one of the largest buildings for a temple that I'd seen so far so this was definitely one of the most amazing sights while being in Nara. The deer are so well trained that they all hang out around the grounds just beyond the temple entrance. | |
| The next place we visited was called Kasuga-Taisha which is not a Buddhist temple but a Shinto Shrine in another corner of Nara Park. The shrine had a completely different aura as it was a little foggy by the time we reached the summit. There were also deer here as well but this shrine was in the forest so the deer looked more natural and simply roamed throughout the entire shrine's entrance. |
At the end of the day, we waited for a 'lantern festival' that was going on for 10 days in Nara before catching the train to Kyoto then taking from there the Shinkansen back to Tokyo. We waited by the city hall area and watched as the deer went back to the park for the night. The lanterns they used were cups filled with water and candles sitting within the cups. City volunteers laid them out in patterns and (Japanese) words throughout Nara Park. We decided to wait beside a pond for the candles to light, and by that point we were ready to head to the train for our ride back to Tokyo! | |