So. We have free wifi in the dorms. Only accessible from the 2nd floor, in the lounge area, but it's here. It's REALLY slow. Too slow for Skype or gaming or the likes, but just fine for blogging and Facebook. Sure would have been nice if someone had TOLD me that, oh I don't know, maybe when I was lamenting that because I didn't have internet I had no way to tell my parents I'd arrived safely at the dorms. Thanks, guys.
But enough about that, this post is about Osaka Castle (Osaka-jo). I finally got the pictures uploaded. Osaka castle was only about a 15 minute train ride from the hostel, so very easy to get to and an absolutely worthwhile trip. As you approach Osaka castle, you start to get glimpses of it through the trees. It's a stunning building, crafted by only the most worthy artisans and gilded in gold.
Getting closer, you can start to see more detail:
The first impression I had upon reaching the outer edges of the castle grounds is how massive and immense the walls are that surround the castle. I can't imagine trying to lay siege to a place like this because not only is it surrounded by a moat, but there's these building-thick stone walls that are unbelievably tall. You can't really get a sense of scale from this, but believe me, the walls are massive.
First you have to cross a bridge (which would of course be an excellent choke-hold to pick off your enemies from inside the castle during a siege) to get through this wall:
So I know in that shot you're not really getting a sense of how big these walls are, but just trust me, they're massive. Not only are they pretty damn tall, but they're incredibly thick. These walls will be here long after we're all dead and buried. Actually, perhaps this will give you some sense of size; the wall is behind the line of trees and you can see the man walking to the right:
Once you get over the moat and across the bridge and past the wall, you're greeted by this gate:
Which has massive wooden doors that probably take ten men to close. Seriously. Massive. The Japanese do not F around.
You walk up a ways more and climb about a bazillion stairs and finally, you're almost there. This is Osaka castle from behind:
Obligatory cherry blossom pic (though I am told they are not as impressive this year as they usually are):
The Emperor now doubt enjoyed the fact that from his perch, he could survey much of his territory:
Did I mention there are yet more walls?
Seriously. Not fun for invading armies.
There is this really awesome tiger at the top of the castle and when I was snapping pictures, this little old Japanese man kept insisting I get shots from specific angles so as to highlight the best parts of the castle. He was sweet. Anyway, here's the tiger, you can see it mid-upper right:
When you go 'round to the front of the castle there is a sort of park or fairground area. There are shops and stands which sell food, drink and souvenirs. There is a koi pond and traditional park area and it's just so peaceful and pretty. Here's a shot I took from the other side of the koi pond which summarizes it better than I could in words (even though I just did):
I went inside, of course, and there is a museum of sorts there that talks about the history of the emperors during certain eras. You can go all the way to the top floor and there is an outside area there where you can see the entire city and take photos. There's also a gift shop. The photos aren't great because of the sort of chain-link fence enclosure to prevent people from falling off, but I'll toss a couple up anyway:
There is some really neat stuff inside like samurai armor and battle standards and the likes, but most floors didn't allow photos to be taken at all, so I can't share that. Here's some nifty stuff that I was able to get shots of, though!
This is our tiger friend who is on the outside of the building, alongside a Koi that is also on various points of the building:
It is the museum's 80th year anniversary, so they put up this tile thing-that-I'm-too-tired-to-remember-the-name-of:
And there are some samurai helmets you can try on for photos (for a small fee, of course):
I went back outside and there is a small well that baka gaijin have put money into as if it were a wishing well (it's not):
I don't know what was in this pit but it probably wasn't good:
I should have taken more shots of the grounds but by that point I was just ready to relax. I ate takoyaki in the park and drank Asahi beer. The weather was glorious and it was a very relaxing and interesting trip. If you go to Osaka, see Osaka castle, it's worth it.
Oh, and bonus points if you can figure out what the hell this dude is doing:
