After going to Kobe and Himeji, I now take you to Osaka, Japan!
Osaka is the working heart of Kansai. Famous for its down-to-earth citizens and hearty cuisine, Osaka combines a few historical and cultural attractions with all the delights of a modern Japanese city. Indeed, Osaka is surpassed only by Tokyo as a showcase of the Japanese urban phenomenon. — by The Lonely Planet
Since Osaka is just an hour train ride from where we stayed, we decided to explore the place. The famous attraction in Osaka is the Universal Studios Japan, the next would be the Osaka Castle and the Osaka Aquarium called “Kaiyukan“.
Let’s begin with the least famous down the the most famous site in Osaka.
Osaka Aquarium
Osaka Aquarium is worth a visit, especially for those who have children in tow. The aquarium is centred on the world’s largest aquarium tank, which is home to the star attractions – two enormous whale sharks as well as a variety of smaller sharks, rays and other fish. — by The Lonely Planet
The Kaiyukan aquarium claims to be one of the largest aquariums in the world. That’s why sometimes I feel that I’m sick of going to aquariums since I’ve seen many sites like those. But even though that’s the case, I do see a unique animal in one aquarium to the other. Or maybe those are different species but belongs in the same family. Whatever!
Anyway, the Japanese word “Kaiyukan” means “Playing in the Sea Pavilion“. So they are re-creating this in the aquarium and visitors can enjoy creatures as if they are playing together in the sea.
Osaka Castle
Osaka’s most popular attraction, Osaka-jō is a 1931 concrete reconstruction of the original castle, which was completed in 1583 as a display of power on the part of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Refurbished at great cost in 1997, today’s castle has a decidedly modern look. The interior of the castle houses a museum of Toyotomi Hideyoshi memorabilia, as well as displays relating the history of the castle. — by The Lonely Planet
If you look at the picture of the Castle, it is so much similar to Himeji Castle! If you’re a tourist like me,you’ll feel that the castles are a like. You’ll know it’s different if you get inside. But if you only look at the structure from the outside or from a photograph, you’ll think that it’s just the same as the one in Himeji.
The interior of the castle is different as they have dioramas all over the castle. They even have AVP presentations to animate the Castle’s history. The Osaka Castle is best visited during the Cherry Blossom season. We thought we’ll be able to see the flowers fully bloomed but it was just the start of the Spring season so only some of the cherry blossom trees were blooming. The beauty of the Castle plus the cherry blossoms makes this a top spot for tourists.
Universal Studios Japan
The Universal Studios Japan is Osaka’s version of Tokyo Disneyland. Since Tokyo is far and would take you 8 hours via bus to reach the place, we preferred USJ since majority of the rides here are for adults. As you know, one of my bucket list is to see ALL the Universal Studios in the world. I’ve already seen 2 parks which is in Singapore and in Japan.
Anyway, going to USJ is simple since there are instructions in the internet and there is also a direct train going to the park. We didn’t get lost going there. I went there together with Chard and Reji who were also my companions in Himeji. However, this time we are all first timers in the area so it was really and adventure for us.
When you alight the train, you’ll have to walk along the City Walk where you can see restaurants and shops affiliated with Universal Studios.
Upon entering, you’ll see a big tower and of course the famous Universal Studios globe. ^_^
The most famous ride of the park is the Spiderman which is similar to The Mummy of Universal Studios Singapore. However, the good thing in Singapore is that the language is in English. In USJ, everything is in Japanese! So you have to widen your imagination so that you’ll understand how the story goes based on the animated pictures!
The studios is bigger than the one in Singapore, you definitely need one whole day to enjoy all the rides. There are numerous rides for adults and children as well.
One of the sites in USJ that we enjoyed is the Snoopy Studios! Do you love Snoopy?! Of course we do! I read comics and watch the cartoons back then. However, these days they are not that popular in the Philippines. Anyway, they have cool stuffs inside and we really had a great time taking pictures and playing with the toys. It was basically for children but nevertheless, it was for every one especially for the young at heart.
As you stroll there, you’ll see different mascots and you can take a picture with them. I like the mascots in USS better than the ones in USJ but I think USJ has a wider range of mascot compared to USS. What do you think?
Finally, the parade of floats happened by the late afternoon.. This is very similar to Disneyland. As I remember, there was no parade in USS, right? We had fun watching the parade even if they speak Japanese. Hahaha!
By closing time, there is a show in one part of the studios that is similar to Sentosa’s Songs of the Sea though I can’t confirm it yet since I haven’t experienced it yet. A short show was performed before the park officially closes. So if Enchanted Kingdom and Disneyland has fireworks display, USJ has this stage performance with fireworks display as well.
Check out the video I had back then:
So there, I hope I fed you with nice images of Osaka. The next time you want to visit Japan, include this on your list. ^_^
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