Osaka Day 4

For our final day in Japan we went to make “fake” ice cream, or artistic food displays. My art piece did not turn out looking so good, because I applied my philosophy of eating real ice cream to it: lots of chocolate, and lots of toppings!

Before we left on the hotel to airport shuttle, I spent a few minutes becoming part of the zen garden in the hotel courtyard. Now, a Zen master might argue that the location of the garden, next to the BBQ grill cook-out area, and with large buildings in the background is not ideal, but I still found it to be a good place to reset my mind!

As we were driving to the airport, which is conveniently situated on the coast with the runaway jutting out into the ocean, I was able to spend a few minutes on the phone with my uncle, Jim. He was in the Philippines for a business trip, so it was more convenient to chat in roughly the same time zone.

We had some sashimi at the airport, did some souvenir shopping, and then went to our gates for departure. I boarded the airplane with a heavy sigh, sad to be leaving Japan and wondering when I might be able to return next. Soon, I hope!

Osaka Day 3

We went to Universal Studios for our third round of roller coasters. Osaka’s Universal Studios is perhaps particularly famous (at least in my family) because it boasts a Harry Potter section with a themed-roller coaster and a Harry Potter 3D interactive movie ride through the castle. 

I know my sister Shannon (her travel blog here) must be extremely jealous! My favorite part of the Harry Potter experience was walking through the castle and seeing moving, talking portrait paintings, just like the movie. The 3-d movie ride was also probably the best ride of the park because it almost makes riders feel like they are part of the movie!

 

The park was divided into sections named after, and designed to look like, famous cities in the US like New York, and San Francisco. 

As we made our way through a mini-US tour, some of the other interesting rides we jumped on along the way were the Jurassic Park ride, Spiderman, and Space Adventure.

 

We returned to the hotel and had a wardrobe change before going to a karaoke spot for a few songs to start the night. Then, as it was our last dinner in Japan as a group, we went to a nice Italian place and ordered several delicious dishes, and a bottle of wine (sparkling cider for Simon). 

Continue on to Osaka Day 4.

Osaka Day 2: Kyoto Day Trip

We took a 15-minute bullet train into nearby Kyoto and enjoyed a fun, albeit rainy tour of a few temples there. 

The temples in Japan all seem to have a very nice balance with nature, so I felt right at home. 

One tree had been cultivated and trimmed to grow into a pattern of a boat. 

Another interesting aspect of Kyoto was its history and tradition of “geisha” so there were many female tourists who bought the traditional-style kimonos and wore those on their tours. Once finished with the second temple tour for the day, we zipped back to Osaka on the bullet train.

 

Our diner was a very special treat: fishing for our meal! The restaurant featured several large boat structures with tables for small groups. Each table was given enough fishing rods for those who wanted to partake, and then we were able to cast our lines over the sides of the “boat” to try and catch fish swimming in the small pool below. Simon caught 3, Lisa caught 1, and Anthony and I watched on as we chatted with nearby tables and waited for their hard-earned catches to be cooked and served up on a platter.

Continue to Osaka Day 3.

Osaka Day 1

The two-and-a-half hour bullet train ride from Tokyo to Osaka provided time for blog writing, photo organizing, and a scenic view of a landscape dotted with mountain peaks and scattered fields.

We checked into the hotel and, after a quick snack, we toured through the city making a few key stops: a Pokemon center for Simon’s shopping,

a castle in the center of the city,

and our guide introduced us to a few other key places.

Along the way, we had a chance to dress up in ninja gear and snap a fun picture!

Dinner for the night was a teppanaki style meal—the kind that they cook at the table in front of you. The food was delightful! The restaurant was located on a downtown walking street that was lined with restaurants, which were in turn adorned with different, artistic signs to attract customers.

Continue on to Osaka Day 2.