Osaka sunshine

This morning brought with it some nice sunshine so the trip from Kobe to Osaka was quite enjoyable and very short (only 10 minutes on the Shinkansen). The nice weather also kept our spirits up, making Osaka seem exciting and interesting. 

We started off in the area around our hostel, after dropping our bags off. It was quite lively with markets and a big tower. The big tower is famous but I can't remember what it's called. We then walked via a couple of temples, one of them had many people suited up and entering the temple to kneel and pray. There was something about it that made the temple seem special and I wanted to join in but felt it wouldn't be right. 

We then moved on to some other markets, Korean this time, which were situated under a railway line. They were full of lots of fresh foods and different ornaments but the busy atmosphere made it seem way cooler. 

From there we caught a train to Osaka castle (yes, another castle) which was similar to Hiroshima but had a lot more gold. The gardens surrounding it were fantastic though. Some parts were modern with water features big enough for children (and the occasional adult) to play in. There were also peach groves and plum groves and many luscious green trees. Again, if the weather hadn't been so nice this area may not have looked so nice. 

From the castle we headed north to the Umeda district with the sky building which has a floating garden observatory. It sounds a little cooler than it is but there were floating escalators connecting the east tower to the west and a glass lift to bring you up to the top. Also, we were able to watch the sun set over the city from the top as our timing was quite perfect. It's worth a google if you're into architecture though. The building itself is rather impressive. 

With our bellies grumbling we headed to find food, settling on a curry (not unlike katsu you get at wagamamas) but with Kobe beef which melted in your mouth and had a beautiful flavour, even under the curry sauce. There is talk of going to a famous curry place tomorrow too. 

Eventually, we made it back to the hostel (accidentally took a little detour, nearly ending up at universal studios which wouldn't have been so bad; supposedly there's going to be a Harry Potter studio) to discover that it's apparently okay to have 3 showers for 8 floors of rooms with about 8 rooms on each floor. Did get a free robe and slippers though.