Osaka

There was lots of fun to be had in Osaka. I ended up buying two pairs of Capri pants, I know, I'm not much of a Capri guy but they are kind of comfortable. I got them at my favorite store - UNIQLO, which we found in Korea - very exciting. After our quick shopping outing, we met Hiroko's dad, who took a few hours to "meet with a client!" So, we went and saw Osaka Castle and and Shitennoji. We walked around the inside of the castle which was a museum and we were also able to have a nice view from a lookout area on the top. At Shitennoji Temple we were able to go up the five storied pagoda - a first for me. Then, we met up with an old buddy from Pullman -Taka, but not before we rode a giant Ferris Wheel in Hep 5! It was only for an hour but it was great to see him. We also spent one night earlier in the week at a Japanese Bar with another friend from W.S.U. - Miho!

These are the outstanding Osaka pictures:

(Osaka Castle close up)

(Katrina and I in front of Osaka Castle)

(View from the top of Osaka Castle in one direction)

(Shitennoji Pagoda in the background)

(5 Story Pagoda which we were able to walk up - Score! Yes, I just said score...)

(Cool building on the grounds)

(Katrina and I doing some more cleansing. This time we threw some water on the thirsty deities so they would help us out somehow.)

(Guardian #1)

(Guardians #2,3, and 4)

(Famous Turtle Pond on the grounds)

(I do not know what this is or what it is used for but I liked the dragon.)

(View from out of the Ferris Wheel at Hep 5. In the distance, we could see Osaka Castle. And, from Osaka Castle, we could see the Ferris Wheel.)

(Katrina with Osaka Station in the background)

(Me with Ferris Wheel and Osaka in the background)

(JC and Taka)

(Miho, Hiroko, Katrina, and I at the Izakaya - food was delicious)

(This is a rice dish we got that we cooked in sea water - AMAZING!)

(Miho and Hiroko in front of some raw fish and octopus. We even had a wasabi root to make our own fresh wasabi.