Osaka

After my day trip to Inari and Nara, Osaka was next on the list. There were only 4 major things I wanted to see, and I plotted my route to end up at the Osaka Aquarium. I understood the jellyfish tanks were supposed to be spectacular.

First stop: the open air museum of old farm houses. These buildings, which are fast being lost to urban sprawl, were dismantled and re-assembled in this wonderful park. As I walked around and through the buildings, I ran into a Aussie couple who were on their 5th trip to Japan. Each time they pick a different small area to enjoy for a week at a time. They told me about this reproduction of an Edo village which they described in glowing detail. Little did they know it was next on my list.

The Edo village is located in the unlikeliest of places - the 8th floor of a highrise smack downtown. They have recorded sounds of villagers to give you a sense of lively activity and every detail, including cats on the roof, dogs in the street and birds perched on a pole, was aimed toward authenticity. Rather than keep it seriously historic, they threw in whimsy in the form of art work made out of kitchen utensils or tools of everyday life.
And for some unknown reason, a boat. The most amazing part was the atmosphere created by simulating a full day. First the exhibit is bright as on a sunny day, then it becomes dusk and the lanterns glow in the dusky light. When night falls, there is a fireworks show (digital of course) on the ceiling. And then, the sights and sounds of dawn breaking. There is even a thunderstorm.

Next was Osaka castle. Mind you, there have been a few in the same spot. Either they have burned down or been bombed. The current one is a fairly recent re-building. It sits in a park (most of them do) which is actually more interesting than the castle itself. I didn't bother to go inside as everything I've read and the Aussie couple said it was sooooo not interesting inside. I took their word for it and left for the aquarium.

On the way to the aquarium, I met 2 young women from Singapore. They spoke far more Japanese than I do, so I tagged along with them to find the place. They were fun. Once at the aquarium we parted ways. No photos I'm afraid, but a couple of things stood out.

First you enter through a tunnel of glass so sharks and other fish are swimming all around you and over your head. There is a similar thing in San Francisco (which I think is even better than Osaka), but it is exhilarating nonetheless.

There were river otters who have got to be among the silliest creatures around. They are very playful and seem to be happy in large groups.

The most amazing tanks had HUGE rays flying through the water. One ray had a fish attached to his back (her back --how do you tell?) and was doing gliding, effortless back flips in the bubbles created by one of the pumps. It looked as though the ray were trying to catch more oxygen by going through the bubbles. Or maybe he was trying to tickle the fish off his back. The whole fish/ray thing turned out to be common - most of the rays have these fish attached.

The whale shark had an entire entourage of fish who followed him as he sailed in majestic circles and figure eights in the tank. He also had a fish or two attached to his back and one of these days I will use my librarian powers to figure out what that's all about.

Perhaps the most bizarre and unusual tank held Japanese spider crabs. They balance themselves on these impossibly long legs and don't seem to know where any of them are at any given time (their legs I mean).

At the end were the famous jellyfish - some as small as a dime, and some larger than large dinner plates. I confess I thought it was a disappointing end.

By then, I had been on my feet for too many hours to count and it was time to take the bullet train back to Kyoto. I had thought I would have some time to sit and rest, but bullet trains are aptly named and I was back at the station within 23 minutes.

A word about cities in Japan. Tokyo is a maze of side streets and alleys that meander up hill and down. It makes for fun wandering if you don't mind getting lost repeatedly. Kyoto is laid out more like a city I understand and the maps even work for getting around. The Gion area is a bit of a maze what with all the temples and shrines everywhere, but navigating is very easy. Osaka hearkens back to Tokyo - not as straightforward.

But it's Hiroshima which is easy to navigate and beautifully laid out with riverside walks, parks down major boulevards and maps even I can follow. But that's a story for another day.