On our last day we visited Osaka, the third largest city in Japan with a population of approximately 2.6 million people.
We visited the Osaka Castle one of Japan's most famous castles. The castle was built in 1583 and took 14 years to be completed. It was reconstructed in 1620 and those same walls are still standing today.
It has 5 stories on the outside and 8 on the inside. Today the castle is used as a museum that displays ancient historical artifacts dating back to the 1600s. The top floor of the castle is an observatory deck where you can see the entire city of Osaka.
Afterwards, we went for a stroll heading towards Osaka Bay. There were gingko trees everywhere!!!
We came across a nice gentleman who allowed us to take pictures of his fury little friends. I'm not a dog lover but these fur balls were pretty damn cute. Why he would dress them up like this is beyond me. Jeans and sunglasses is a bit much for a dog when its not Halloween.
Later, we enjoyed a peaceful boat ride along Osaka Bay. The bay is located on the western part of the Inland Sea and is separated from the Pacific Ocean by the Kii Channel.
Osaka was my least favorite part of Japan mainly because we didn't really see much and I wasn't able to get a feel for the city. The city itself is very modern with high skyscrapers and a small yet very functional subway system. I'm sure if I had spent a couple of days there and visited more sites, my opinion would have changed.
Special thanks to our tour guide Michihara for showing us around! Too bad the tour wasn't longer.
