Naturally our first stop after checking in was a takoyaki stand in our neighborhood shopping   arcade on the way to see Osaka Castle at night. Takoyaki is a snack in the shape of little round balls containing pieces of octopus. After standing frozen in awe by the castle we were ready for some gyoza.
The next day we hopped on the JR (Japan Rail) train and headed to Himeji to visit the Himeji Castle, aka White Heron Castle. According to many, Himeji is Japan’s most spectacular castle, due to its size and beauty. Originating in the 1400s and being completed in 1609, it is one of Japan’s 12 original castles. Unlike many other castles in Japan, Himeji Castle has not been destroyed by earthquake, fire or war. My favorite part was standing at the edge of the fortress looking out over the moat and the surrounding kingdom…er, I mean, city. The hand-pulled udon noodles at Menme, a small shop on the way to the castle was a-maz-ing. The chef was tossing and pulling the dough in the window, so casually like he was sitting in his rocking chair reading the newspaper.
Although we did not find any cows being massaged or fed beer during our brief stop in Kobe, we got some nice views of the skyline there before reboarding the JR back to Osaka.
No visit to Osaka is complete without Dotonbori. We spent our final evening in Osaka wandering through the streets that line the canal under flashing lights and giant animatronic crab
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1 Comment
Quite the life you two have 🙂