Today we went to see Osaka Castle, but there were so many side quests that the whole day felt full of things!
On the route to the castle, we found a Hawaii festival. Dancing and stalls selling all sorts of beach-themed stuff. It was fun to watch a group on the stage do a routine. It felt kinda out of place, but then so is a German market in Birmingham, of all places.
Walking on, we then got distracted by thumping and screaming. It was coming from a large hall surrounded by high school students, and some of them were dressed in armour. Asking a group of them, they told us it was a kendo competition, so we squeezed inside to watch. It was very interesting and impressive, the speed and skill of the kids, but getting whacked by those sword bundles of bamboo must hurt.
Now it was time to go and see the castle. But first, let me tell you about this rock… it’s a really big rock. The largest rock in any castle across the whole of Japan. It weighs over 100t, and it came from hundreds of miles away over 400 years ago, all to build it into the defensive wall. They built special boats and rafts of huge logs tied to sake barrels to gain enough buoyancy to move the megaliths. And then on land they used wooden sleds and lots of logs to roll them into place, with thousands of men pulling on ropes. I can’t imagine watching something like that happen; these days we apply technological mechanical power rather than manpower to move big things. I told you it was interesting, and now I have a nice photo of us in front of a historically significant rock.
Finally reaching the castle, we joined the huge crowd and shuffled our way inside. It was really interesting to see how the castle and the area had changed over time as various dynasties had taken over, burnt it down, and rebuilt it bigger and better every few hundred years. The land surrounding the castle, too, had been built up again and again to cover old battlements and raise the height of the walls. Now, even though the castle is only six storeys tall, it rivals some skyscrapers around the edge of the park.
It was fun reading the life and times of the various lords of the land, especially being able to recognise Date Masamune’s name. On display was a handwritten letter he sent in which he apologised for not inviting two noble women to a tea party. It seems even hundreds
Near the top, there was an exhibition showing a huge battle painted onto some golden folding screens. All the lords of the realm had their own banners and even miniature portraits painted of them accurately on this huge panorama. It was in beautiful detail, and I can fully see how, from up here, the whole battle could be watched.
The view was magnificent, of both the modern skyline and the natural skyline. Off to the east are huge hills, where we will be going tomorrow for Nara Park, and in the west the river flows out to the sea and ports. It was fun taking photos up there before we descended, compelled by our grumbling stomachs.
We met up with Aimi, who hadn’t wanted to go around the castle, instead wandering the castle gardens, and went in search of food. Unfortunately, this is where we fell into a tourist trap—it was going to happen eventually. Too hungry to decide, we went into the centre of Dotonbori, and the first decent-sized restaurant we saw we went into. It was OK food, nothing to write home about, but they added a salted soybean starter to our table without asking. It was £10 between five of us, so no sweat, but you assume the chips on the table are complimentary if you haven’t asked for them. Ah well.
Significantly perked up with food and feet rested from all the tramping about the castle and side quests, we set off into Dotonbori. We first found another Ghibli shop, and then right next door was a pachinko palace. Last time I tried this, the machine took our money and all the balls, made some sounds, and that was about it. But this time Aimi had some luck—or skill—but definitely help from an attendant, and the balls flowed and plinked through the machine for ages! I can’t say I understood the story or the purpose, but there were lots of lights and sounds for a long time! Kai and Nath had a go too, and I think we all left feeling confused, with slightly lighter wallets.
I don’t know if pachinko is gambling; they seem to have a thin line between that and video games. This thin line was completely erased by the next games parlour we found, where you swap your fiat coins for token coins, walk around with them in a bucket, and then slot them into machines that have blinky lights… I have never enjoyed gambling, but it seems to be a big thing here.
Reaching the famous Dotonbori street, it was a huge crush of people all talking, laughing, drinking, and eating. It’s a lot more relaxed in Osaka than Tokyo. This street has a canal running down its centre, with pleasure boats cruising up and down, giving tours. It’s like Piccadilly Circus with all the lit-up shop fronts, screens, and colours.
Of course, seeing a pink kawaii café, we could not resist, despite protestations from Kai. In here, everything is Pepto-Bismol pink, fluffy, and cute. But again, we needed to rest our feet, so enjoyed some incredibly colourful drinks. Honestly, I could feel the E-numbers staining my teeth. There were two girls, one pink, one blue, taking photos all over the shop. I wanted to ask why they were taking so many photos. Was it for Instagram? A magazine? Their clothing brand? But I figured a big hairy white guy approaching two tiny Japanese girls in a cute pink café would be misconstrued too easily.
However, one side quest would go unfulfilled today. The Donkey shop in Dotonbori has a tall oval Ferris wheel on the front of the shop. It’s truly unique and something I wanted to do since I saw it. Unfortunately, it was not running due to maintenance. It will have to wait for a return trip.
