First, in Kyoto we went to Nijo Castle. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nij%C5%8D_Castle
The front gate.
A map of the castle grounds.
The front gate. A map of the castle grounds.The interesting thing about this particular castle building was the beautiful artwork on the walls and ceilings. The building we went through was where the shogun would meet feudal lords and other dignitaries. The paintings were done in the 1600s and represent a particular style of Japanese artwork. We were not allowed to take pictures inside.
There were also beautiful carvings. Many huge ones divided rooms and were composed of two different carvings, one on each side.
There was, of course, a beautiful pond.
A thick castle wall....
And a moat...
Afterwards.... a ride on the bullet train.....
Section of wall
A different section of wall. All of the stones would have been cut and shaped by hand. The largest stone in the wall is....
In the night market...
This menu caught our eye! It is not difficult to order when there are pictures or models of the food you would like to eat.
Bob had sushi.
I had tempura...
And we were in Osaka...where we found my bar immediately upon leaving the station :)
Osaka Castle....a "three subway" ride away is surrounded by a huge park and gardens. After we got off the subway we had quite a walk before we saw the castle itself.
This castle was really interesting as it told the story of the life of the man who built the original castle. We took an elevator to the 5th floor then walked up to the viewing deck on the 8th floor. We were able to get a good view of Osaka.
The displays inside the castle were in English, so there was a lot of reading. We closed the place down at 5pm, which is when most things seem to close, grabbed an ice cream cone as "lunch" and made our way back to our hotel to freshen up and decide on dinner.
The walls of the castle are amazing, made from massive blocks of stone. We decided that there must have been a lot of volunteers to help move blocks so big. It is definitely physics in action to see these walls, built hundreds of years ago still standing.
Section of wall A different section of wall. All of the stones would have been cut and shaped by hand. The largest stone in the wall is....The day ended with more eating. Sushi was the prime requirement for the restaurant choice. We headed away from our hotel and into the night crowds of Osaka.
In the night market... This menu caught our eye! It is not difficult to order when there are pictures or models of the food you would like to eat. Bob had sushi. I had tempura...Another eating adventure finished, we headed back to the hotel for a much needed rest.
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