It was a cool 9 degrees at 9am this morning, and a clear sky. After four nights in Kyoto, we were moving on today to Osaka. We know the transport system in Kyoto pretty well now, so it was straightforward getting a bus to the main railway station, and then a non-shinkansen train for the 30 minute trip to Osaka - the shinkansens go to a different station there. The cities are very close together, and it's entirely built-up in-between.
Our hotel is just a few blocks from the station and we arrived just after the reception desk opened at 11:30am. We could check-in and leave our bags, so happily set back off to the railway station with just a small backpack for the rest of the day. We had walked through an arcade to get to the hotel, and came across a number of food outlets, many with displays of their dishes on offer (plastic replicas) and at prices cheaper even than Kyoto. One place appealed in particular. We got ourselves seated and chose two dishes. When they appeared one was different to what we'd supposed but they were delicious all the same. Also, in addition to a meat/fish dish they included a bowl of rice and miso soup on the side. We couldn't do justice to them, as much as we tried, but felt we could leave a little on the plates because they cost only $10 each.
Thoroughly bolstered for the remainder of the day, we found our way to the subway system and used a two-train connection to arrive at Osaka waterfront. A number of big tourist attractions are located here - a giant ferris wheel, Legoland and an aquarium among them. We were zeroing in on the aquarium, which we both love. This one is the largest in Japan and one of the largest in the world, so it seemed a good one to choose. It contains 15 huge tanks, the height of several floors, each of which contain fish and sealife from a different region on the Pacific Rim, including the Antarctic. Incredibly, the acrylic that went into constructing the tanks in 1990 was an amount equivalent to the entire world's production for one and a half years. The tank walls are 30cm thick.
It was indeed a great display, with some stunning specimens. Of special appeal were the massive whale sharks, beautiful royal penguins, giant Japanese spider crabs, and amazing transparent and cleverly lit jellyfish. However, we were a little disappointed with the limited exhibition for tropical fish and coral. I guess we have been spoilt by other aquaria, e.g. in Genoa, Italy and Monterey Bay, California. The latter had the biggest Wow factor we think. It was a very enjoyable afternoon all the same, but perhaps the only thing so far that hasn't met our expectations.
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| This South American brute was perhaps 2m long and 60kg |
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| Royal penguins |
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| The big guy at the back would have easily spanned 3 metres! |
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| Gorgeous transparent jellyfish, some with flashing lights running up and down them |
It was very nice to have a few hours up our sleeve after we returned to our hotel. It's a lovely room, bigger than we expected, and we have a special treat - we have breakfast included at this one. With either an English breakfast or Asian one to pre-order, there was no choice for us. It has to be the Asian one. There is no way we are getting tired of Japanese food so far. Quite the reverse.
Dinner was extremely enjoyable. We chose a little okonomiyaki place near us, as after our big lunch we didn't want another large meal. It turned out to be a one-man-band bar, with just 7 seats total, and the owner being the greeter, server, cook and host. He was a hoot, and was soon joined by his pleasant young wife and their two small children, and her friend from Okinawa. Having eaten our delicious okonomiyaki and negayaki (similar but with spring onions rather than cabbage) washed down with an ubiquitous Asahi Dry beer, we sat for a while chatting with them all about our trip and New Zealand, with Mr Google helping. It was a barrel of laughs. Knowing a bit more about how Japan works, what to expect, how to behave, and knowing a growing number of Japanese words means we are more open to trying new experiences that we might not have last time. It is so rewarding.
