Osaka Jo

We went to Osaka via the Tokaido Line. Catching the shinkansen would have been faster but much more expensive. Mel was motivated to do some writing, so she used the travel time that way. I on the other hand used the time to doze.

On arrival we had a quick lunch, then on to Osaka-Jo. We had plans to visit a few different sights on Saturday but we ended up spending the whole afternoon there.

Osaka-Jo is situated on expansive grounds, that house a shrine and a multitude of plum and cherry trees. Originally built in the late 1500's, the castle has been destroyed and rebuilt a couple of times. Some of the slabs of stone that make up the outer walls of the castle are truly awesome.

We went along with the tourist feel of the area around the main donjon by having a caricature done (the artist was very good) and buying souvenirs. We then got around to entering the donjon. From the outside the castle is very impressive. The castle museum is quite good, with English signage on most of the exhibits, and the view from the observation level is also quite good.

On exiting we went to view the plum trees. They are just starting to blossom, so we wandered around and took some photos while the sky was starting to move toward dusk.