Last Part of the Kyoto / Osaka Adventure - Temple, Shrine and Okonomiyaki

Despite all the alcohol yesterday evening, Oliver and me woke up about 8 am to do our check-out right on time. Gotta love Japan for their vending machines with coffee everywhere ^^

To avoid taking the luggage with us the whole day, we tried to put them into a coin locker at the main station. That was easier said than done, because nearly every locker was already used this morning. And believe me ... there were more than enough. It felt like hours after we finally found one in which the most of the luggage did fit.

Start in The Day!

After strengthen us with a good meal, we went to 四天王寺 (Shi-Tenno-ji), a Buddhist temple in Osaka. But to be honest, at this day it looked actually more like a flea market. Most of the sellers seemed to be private persons because of the stuff they were selling. From antiques over CDs and food to wooden swords, there was nearly everything. To make a long story short: I found and bought an original Pokemon CD with a soundtrack collection from the TV show starting 1998 until 2003 :)

Spirituality and Business in one place ;)

Two hours later, we were already at the 住吉大社 (Sumiyoshi-Taisha or Sumiyoshi Grand Shrine). Like the name said, it was a Shinto Shrine. Actually the entrance was the hardest, because the main bridge you have to cross is very high and steep. But we are young, so it was no real challenge for us, of course :D

So we relaxed in the area and visited many little shrines and other things. Before we took the train, we had to do two more things: going into 温泉 (Onsen, hot spring) and eating お好み焼き (Okonomiyaki, in my opinion, one of the best dishes of Japan). Thanks to the age of smartphones, Oliver found a good Onsen next to the train station. Relaxing in hot water after walking the whole day is just .... sooooo good :) And what could be better than having a fantastic meal afterwards? ^^

Seeing and Learning How a Master Fries Okonomiyaki ;)

Oliver knew this restaurant from his last travel to Osaka and now I can also recommend it :) But if you want to know the exact place, ask Oliver :D Just kidding, Osaka itself is somehow famous for its Okonomiyaki, so you found it in many places. It's like a hearty omelet with vegetables, meat and so on. Of course, the special Okonomiyaki sauce is maybe the most important part of it ;) At least, Japanese people told me this often.

And the result is .... おいしい！(Delicious!)

Well, these were 3 fantastic days in Kyoto and Osaka. There is still so much to explore, so I will come back someday :)

Japan = Country where fictional characters live ^^

Wish I could take one home ^^

Short explanation: The image on the left is the mirror image of the right one in a well inside 四天王寺 (Shi-Tenno-Ji).
The well itself is quite deep, so at first it's hard to see :D

Time for some Relaxing

Every Japanese I asked said that Japanese people do not really believe in gods or so the like.
But still it's part of their culture to pray whenever you can.
A nice concept I think, so I also pray sometimes in Japanese temples or Shrines :)

Turtles Reaching For The Sun ^^

Hard to image that Japan is the high-tech country when there is so much nature everywhere.
Wish all "civilized" countries could be this green ^^

This cat sits at the entrance of 住吉大社 (Sumiyoshi Grand Shrine).
Looks like a king / queen to me :D

For the "Legend of Zelda" Fans :)

No special place or object. Just a little figure in front of a shop ^^

Bye Bye Osaka! :)

One Day at Osaka Castle

Today, I started the day around noon. Despite the noise (even through my ear plugs) during the whole night, I managed to get some ... let's call it rest :D Anyway, Oliver wanted to do some things on his own this afternoon, so I made up my own plans :)

View outside of my window

Today, I wanted to see Osaka castle. It was actually just one of the few points of interest in Osaka I knew about. After a quick search with Google Maps, I went there. Despite the early date, there were some Sakura trees in the park in front of the castle.

White Sakura in the Park in front of Osaka Castle

Osaka castle only isn't the attraction like I saw. Around the castle are numerous parks with many street performers and booths. Many people were already there, but this wasn't annoying at all. In fact, it was a really good place for relaxing ^^

Can You Already See the Castle?

The castle itself is a big museum with 7 floors. It has quite a history with many emperors and changes over time. For all of you, who want to know more about Japanese history and culture, I can really recommend this. And the view from the top is also beautiful. Maybe just a little bit narrow with all the people there ;)

Skyline of Osaka viewing the Northside from the Castle (I guess ;)

In the evening, I went with some new friends (introduced by Oliver and Jackie) to a 焼肉 restaurant (yaki-niku, means grilled meat). The meat and the beer was really tasty and we just payed ￥2100 per person for a 2-hour all-you-can-eat-and-drink :)

Old friends, new friends and some other dude ;)

The rest of the today's pictures ^^

Just a way with no people I found ^^
Well, they are harder to find in japan than you probably think ;)

Photo Theme of the Day: Osaka Castle

Looking from the walls in front of the actual castle

Part of everyday life: Street Performers

The Summer War of Osaka with miniatures

Nearly inside the Castle :)

The Golden Tiger and Dragon have some meaning for this castle
Unfortunately, I cannot remember it oO

One of the few Pink Sakura I found

Time passed and War still went on ...

How can they keep the castle so white?
Must be a hell of a work oO

Today's brunch: たこ焼き (Tako-Yaki, Octopus Balls)

Don't know why, but I can never get tired of Sakura :)

Kyoto: Sun, Rain, Hail and Snow

As I reported in the previous post, I was with Oliver in Kyoto. To see as much as possible, we went to Kyoto the night before the public holiday on Friday, to have a fresh start into our journey.

Let's start the adventure!

One reason we picked the Utano Youth Hostel in Kyoto was that its location is near some famous temples. So today we went to 龍安寺 (Ryoan-ji), 仁和寺(Ninna-ji) and 金閣寺(Kinkaku-ji).

龍安寺 (Ryoan-ji)

Rain Water
Down Pipe made
in Japan :)

 This temple has a very famous rock garden. The whole temple was rebuilt in 1499 and because of the fact that during the 2nd World War, no bombs were dropped on Kyoto, we could still see the old beauty of this place. At first, you go along a big lake with many ducks inside. The whole area is huge and most of it is just one big and beautiful garden ^^ After the sun in the morning, it started raining. But luckily we were prepared :) After some minutes, we reached the stone garden.

Kind of funny how many people just watch this stone garden :)

For me, the rock garden wasn't as much interesting as the painted paper walls inside. You can just see them from the outside, but nevertheless it's amazing how old these paintings must be and how the artists from ancient times have drawn.

Maybe the template for my next flat? ;)

As you might guessed from the title already, the weather was very various this day. As we started to go outside, we got a very hot sunshine. Even the roof of the temple started to boil :D

In know, the water is just evaporating,
but boiling sounds more exciting ;)

On half of the way to the next temple, suddenly it started hailing oO It would have hurt if we hadn't our big umbrellas ^^ To avoid this weather, we went into a restaurant near our next station: 仁和寺(Ninna-ji). Well, after surviving a hail storm, nothing is better than a warm meal and 日本酒 (actually called "Nihonshu" in Japan, you may know it as "Sake" or "rice wine". But to be clear, "Sake" means in Japanese just "alcohol" in general).

仁和寺(Ninna-ji)
After half an hour, we got beautiful sunshine again, so we hurried to use it as much as possible. This temple was also interesting for me, regarding the wall paintings and the garden itself. ..... Well, not much more to say, I guess :D

Ancient Wall Painting - Maybe this is the reason why
they used paper for the walls?

If I had money ... this would be my garden ^^

金閣寺(Kinkaku-ji)
As we start going into the area, a weather change surprised us again. This time it was ... snow! And to proof my report, I captured it on photo :D

What was wrong with this day? Someone with bad karma?

I think if you heard about one temple in Kyoto, then it's probably this one. As the name says, it's famous for its Golden Tower / Pavilion (Kinkaku). It's said that the whole area (garden and buildings) represents the Pure Land of Buddha in this world. The upper two levels of the Pavilion and the Phoenix on top are covered with gold foil.

The Golden Pavilion

Aside from the obvious attractions, we found out that there is something hidden within the area what you can call a "game from ancient times". As in many temples there are some little statues representing all kinds of spirits. On these statues normally you lay down a coin to get more luck, fortune and so on or just because you can ;) Here the statues were a bit far away from the official way, so you couldn't step next to them. You had to throw the coin into a metal or stone basket in front of them. There were no official rules or something similar, so I think if you hit the most difficult basket, it means you get luck (and have skill) ^^

Were we entertained or the statues? ^^

The Unknown Shrine
Maybe it was because Oliver hit the basket one time, but we got no drastic weather changes this day again. Because we still had time until our train to Osaka departed this evening, we went to a small shrine. Actually we wanted to see a temple in Kyoto where Sakura trees were already blooming. But as we arrived there, it was already closed. Luckily, we found some Sakura in front of the temple, so the trip wasn't unsuccessful at all ^^

Our first Sakura in Kyoto

Afterwards, we walked a bit around the area and saw the typical red gate from a shrine. So we went there and were surprised by two big metal arrows standing in the ground. Normally, it is believed that these kinds of arrows are protecting from bad spirits, bad luck and so on. Maybe we should have come here sooner to protect us from the weather changes today. No one knows for sure ;)

The Last Shrine of the Day

At the evening, we just boarded onto our train to Osaka and went to our next hostel. This time it was more ... rustic. Everyone had their own very small room. but the air conditioner was central regulated and for some reasons they just blew out very hot air like we were in winter. To avoid dying, we had to open the windows. Well, not a good energy balance today, that's for sure. Luckily, I had my ear plugs, so I could avoid most of the noises from the streets and the hallway. For some other reasons, some people talked loud and washed dishes or so in the open bathroom next to our rooms. And until 4am! But you know, sleep is overrated ;)

Pictures of Today

I know, I am a bad person,
but this one is funny, don't you think? ;)

Little Island near the Golden Pavilion

Guess we were not the only ones constantly shooting photos :D

Some small Sakura ^^

"You shall not pass!"
...
Okay, this one was too easy :D

Well, if you were there, it would be funnier ^^

Actually, I don't know the name of this plant.
But it sure looks beautiful :)

Wall Decoration inside Ninna-ji

I wouldn't swim in the water,
but it looks very mysterious...

The Entry to our Last Shrine

Mysterious Pond ^^

Another thing that would make traveling in Germany sooo much better ^^
Yes, people here are disinfecting the public toilet seats before they go!
Germany, you have still so much to learn .....