Our first ESL student was/is from Osaka. We were so excited to see Asuka and her good friend Yuko who also did her degree at the University of Regina but is from Toyama. We spent two days touring Osaka and Kyoto with them. A very fun time.
We met them and went to a Japanese buffet for lunch. It gave us a wonderful sampling of Japanese food. Notice the plates are divided into nine sections so your food does not run together!
Then on to Osaka Castle. The castle is a huge fortress! The moat was enormous and the walls were incredibly high and thick and there were about 3 sections of that before you got to the castle. Some of the rocks in the wall weighed 100 tons! Amazing!
This is the second wall.
We finally made it to the castle.
Some of the helmets you could try on for 300 yen.
Larson would have loved it!
Even though we were too early for the Cherry Blossoms, the Plum Blossoms were out in full bloom. It was beautiful and gave us a little taste of what the Cherry Blossoms are like. Asuka told us the cherry blossoms last for one week. You have to time it pretty carefully to be there!
The next day we met the girls and rode the train to Kyoto.
In Kyoto we started at the Golden Castle. The exterior is covered in 24K gold.
In Kyoto we started at the Golden Castle. The exterior is covered in 24K gold. Needless to say, it was beautiful. The gardens were manicured and it was very peaceful.
Despite the peacefulness, you could get your fortune told in three languages!
Then on to the markets, which went in every direction as far as the eye could see. Incredible!
Kimono anyone? Just $367.
We did ride on some very crowded buses!
Kimono anyone? Just $367.
We did ride on some very crowded buses!
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