We decided on heading towards the Osaka Castle this (not so) morning to take opportunity of the good weather. Do take note that the Osaka Castle Nishinomaru Garden is closed on Mondays. The nearest subway station to the Osaka Castle is the Tanimachi 4-chome Sta. of the Subway Tanimachi Line (Green Line). It actually takes around half and hour to 45 mins leisure walk (outdoor) to get to the castle. We enjoyed walking through the castle compound as the view is breathtaking and gives a sense of calmness. Perhaps because the garden is closed, the place is not that crowded - all the better for us to enjoy the place with minimal distractions :).
However, if it rains, especially during a heavy rain, do consider to postpone your visit until the rain stops unless you're prepared to get soaked :P For me, the highlight of Osaka Castle is the perfectly kept compound and gardens. It must've taken a lot of effort to tend to such a huge area. However, I hardly see any worker during our visit.
Inside the castle itself there's not much things to see except for the history of the castle with a very interesting 3D animation. I have never seen such thing before. The plus point for parents with strollers is that you are allowed to use the elevator :) while others have to use the stairs. The castle has 9 exhibition floors if I'm not mistaken.
Outside the castle there is an area with a souvinier shop - do buy your souviniers here as they have good varieties which you could not easily find at other places. This shop also claims to be the ninja / samurai specialist and for those who are interested, they do have wide range of ninja stuffs there.
Outside the castle there is an area with a souvinier shop - do buy your souviniers here as they have good varieties which you could not easily find at other places. This shop also claims to be the ninja / samurai specialist and for those who are interested, they do have wide range of ninja stuffs there.
 |
| you will see this building after you exit the subway station |
 |
| walk through all these landmarks to get to the castle |
 |
| soaking up the breathtaking view while sipping coffee from the vending machine :) |
 |
| quite a long walk to get to the castle |
After visiting the castle, we decided to explore the Minami area - which is the downtown of Osaka. We got lost inside the underground shopping mall which was connected to the Namba station as we didn't know which exit to take. Starving, and with Q being less cooperative, we decided to take a break and have our lunch (at 4 pmish). We ate like we haven't eaten in years! (thus, no pictures.. haha..) Only after that we were able see clearly and decided to get out of the underground mall and asked around :P
We almost lose hope of finding the Tombori River Cruise jetty when we bumped into the boat while resting at a deserted area by the river. We quickly head to the direction of the boat and tried to find the jetty and after a loong walk, we found it! At last.. We were happy to get to relax and enjoy looking at the buildings with the neon lights adding to the festivity mood.
By looking at the map I always knew that the Shinsaibashi St and Dotonburi is close but little that I know that it's so close that we could've covered the area in 1 go yesterday. We head back to our hotel via Shinsaibashi Station which is easier to us compared to the Namba Station where we got lost earlier.
 |
| we saw the boat! |
 |
| Tombori River Cruise |
 |
| the famous Glico Man - it's even in the map! |
0 say(s) what??:
Post a Comment