Today, I planned to go to Osaka Castle and to the International Peace Center, which is a WWII museum. Osaka Castle was a great choice on this particular day. It is the first day of Golden Week, which is sort like a country-wide spring break, and it was beautiful outside. A little bit hot when I stood in the sun for too long, but very nice compared to the much colder weather we've been having. Osaka Castle was very crowded and I didn't end up going inside. I have a feeling the outside is really the interesting part, though I'm sure I'll venture in at some point. Anyhow, Osaka Castle is surrounded by a huge park. People were camping and BBQing in the forest just off the path. There were also dance and music performances with elaborate costumes. The park is beautiful and filled with giant rocks and old wooden structures. I'd love to have a picnic there sometime. Here are some weird statues I saw while wandering around the park. 
I have no idea what they are, but I thought they were interesting. So after wandering around for some time, I found myself at the International Peace Center almost entirely by accident. It turned out to be a mediocre museum, though there were some really graphic holocaust images that I'm pretty sure were banned from the U.S. because I've seen quite a lot of them and these were much more graphic than any I'd seen. A lot of the exhibits didn't have real english translations other than "picture of Japanese soldiers" or "Japanese enrollment card". There were a lot of documents, letters and forms that would have been really interesting to read, 
but there were no translations. Here are some pictures from walking around Osaka Castle. The castle is surrounded by a moat and huge stone walls. This family was riding this strange boat around in the water and I thought it was really cool looking. I wonder if these boats are common, or if it's a special Osaka Castle traditional boat. This is where the language barrier is unfortunate. The walls are really beautiful with moss and ivy and trees growing over the tops. You can see a couple buildings behind it 
and I like that old versus new thing that happens so often here. Later in the day, I saw workers wearing traditional japanese hats, sleeping on these old fashioned wooden carts that they use to move produce to and from the market. The market had closed down for the day and they were probably resting before going home. It would have been quaint, but they were resting underneath a highway overpass. Japan is a strange place.So it turned out that the first place I went (above with the strange lamp post) was some kind of Japanese pop concert. I didn't notice this at first and I remember thinking how strange Japan is that they would have pop culture souveniers at an ancient landmark. 
Oddly, this didn't surprise me. The gentleman to the left is directing either people or traffic. I have no idea what his sign says because Kanji are very difficult to learn and almost as difficult to look up unless you already know how to pronounce them. And how would I know that? I was taking pictures of the wall behind him and he looked to funny. Also, you may notice that everyone in this picture is wearing a jacket. I was wearing a tanktop and sweating. I don't know what is wrong with these people. It was sweltering outside.
To the right is a picture of what might be some kind of monk. These guys were stationed at all of the entrances to the castle, standing alone in the woods. I was afraid I wasn't supposed to talk to them, but after I look pictures of this guy, I felt bad, so I said good morning to him. He bowed to me and resumed his pose. I don't know what's in the bowl either. Basically, he is as much a mystery to me as he is to you. Also, he wore traditional sandals that look like socks with a separate section for the big toe. I find them very uncomfortable looking. They might be made out of straw or some other thick, dry fiber. Here are some images of Osaka Castle on the long walk towards it from the subway, or more accurately, from the pop concert I accidentally ended up at first. To get to the castle, you walk through these beautiful paths, many of which have trees and are shady, which was quite nice after walking in the sun for so long. In the close-up picture, you can see all of the visitors inside the castle looking out at the view.
Oddly, this didn't surprise me. The gentleman to the left is directing either people or traffic. I have no idea what his sign says because Kanji are very difficult to learn and almost as difficult to look up unless you already know how to pronounce them. And how would I know that? I was taking pictures of the wall behind him and he looked to funny. Also, you may notice that everyone in this picture is wearing a jacket. I was wearing a tanktop and sweating. I don't know what is wrong with these people. It was sweltering outside.
To the right is a picture of what might be some kind of monk. These guys were stationed at all of the entrances to the castle, standing alone in the woods. I was afraid I wasn't supposed to talk to them, but after I look pictures of this guy, I felt bad, so I said good morning to him. He bowed to me and resumed his pose. I don't know what's in the bowl either. Basically, he is as much a mystery to me as he is to you. Also, he wore traditional sandals that look like socks with a separate section for the big toe. I find them very uncomfortable looking. They might be made out of straw or some other thick, dry fiber. Here are some images of Osaka Castle on the long walk towards it from the subway, or more accurately, from the pop concert I accidentally ended up at first. To get to the castle, you walk through these beautiful paths, many of which have trees and are shady, which was quite nice after walking in the sun for so long. In the close-up picture, you can see all of the visitors inside the castle looking out at the view.
1 comment:
such amazing pictures lady. do you know what the sign with the arrow means?
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