Osaka

Our final day in Japan went so fast and the next day we were on a plane and the next I completely slept through because of the jet lag so this post is a little late. That being said, we made the most of our last day in Osaka. We started the day by going to the Osaka Aquarium.

Osaka Ferris Wheel

The Osaka Aquarium is right next to a giant Ferris wheel. We had no idea what we were getting into but it turned out to be one of the best Aquariums we’d ever been to.

Smiley Sting-ray

The Aquarium had a few main tanks that spanned multiple levels. One housed Sting Rays, Hammerhead Sharks, and Whale Sharks with various types of fish. Another housed Sea Lions, and still another had Otters with a separate area for Penguins.

Yawwwn

I’d be sea lion if I said we didn’t have a good time!

Derp Fish

There was a small tank for dolphins which were constantly playful, there are a few videos in the album so if you are into videos please check them out, it’s the next best thing to being there!

Hay dolphin hay!

The stuff nightmares are made of

After a few hours at the Aquarium we hit our last stop, Osaka Castle. From the outside Osaka Castle is similar to Hemiji Castle, but inside Osaka Castle wasn’t as authentic. It has been reconstructed since air raids in WWII so obviously its much newer, but it was more of a museum with displays of old documents than anything else.

Osaka Castle through the trees

A view of the city from Osaka Castle

We finished the trip incredibly happy with all we’d explored of Japan. I was ready to go back to finish the semester out and Tim was ready to go back to work, but I’m sure going to miss the quality time we got to spend together the last ten days. I’ve already received the packages we mailed ourselves with souvenirs from Tokyo and Osaka so all in all, it was an incredibly fulfilling trip. Expect more posts in the near future! Happy Holidays!

This morning we got up and had a small breakfast in the hotel before heading out to Himeji which is about an hour away from Osaka by train. It was easy to get to the train station underground from the hotel and we used our JR Passes to take the train. We saw the ocean from the train on the way there and many smaller towns in Japan.

Japan through the train window

Our train went right by the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, the worlds longest suspension bridge!

The world’s longest suspension bridge

When we got to Himeji Castle it was more beautiful than we could have imagined.

The whole city is built around the castle

Himeji Castle through the trees

Himeji Castle is the largest and most visited castle in Japan, and it was registered in 1993 as one of the first UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the country.

Himeji Castle Selfie

The castle was massive and we walked through all 7 levels of it.

Built into the Hillside

Massive supporting pillar

Beautiful elaborate roof lines

View from the castle windows of Himeji

Close up view of decorative fish

It was well worth the trip, and it was late afternoon by the time we returned to the hotel. We finished the night by taking a cab into Dotonbori and explored one of the busiest metropolitan areas in Japan we’ve seen yet!