On the last day of our trip to the Kansai region, we only had half a day of sightseeing in Osaka, with our return flight being in the afternoon. Fortunately, we found that there was a direct shuttle from our hotel to the airport, which also made it a lot easier than carrying luggage up and down escalators at the train station. After checking out of our room and leaving our luggage at the hotel reception, we faced the question of what was the best way to spend three or four hours in Osaka. Even though we had stayed in
Osaka for five nights, we had hardly seen enough of the city, having spent the previous few days on trips to
Kobe,
Nara,
Kyoto and
Arashiyama. We decided on visiting the characteristic Osaka Castle for a couple of hours, leaving the final hour or so for shopping in Shinsaibashi (心齋橋
/ 心斎橋) across from our hotel.
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| Stone wall and moat of Osaka Castle |
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| Across the street from Osaka Castle, with Osaka Museum of History on the left |
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| Osaka City Museum 大阪市立博物館 located in Osaka Castle Park |
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| Osaka Castle |
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Osaka Castle with Gokurakubashi Bridge 大阪城 極樂橋
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The Plum Garden at Osaka Castle was magnificent. While it was not yet sakura season, the plum trees were starting to bloom.
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| Plum Garden, Osaka Castle 大阪城梅林 |
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| Plum Garden, Osaka Castle 大阪城梅林 |
That made a beautiful end of an enjoyable trip to Kansai, where we had seen aspects of its rich culture and history in Kobe, Nara and Kyoto, experienced the peaceful serenity of Arashiyama, and felt the modern metropolitan atmosphere of Osaka.
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