It rained in the morning, but we still ventured out according to our itinerary to visit the Tenshukaku (Osaka Castle Museum 天守閣) in the Osaka Castle Park (大阪城公園). Tenshukaku is the central tower of a Japanese castle. The Tenshukaku in Osaka Castle is used as a museum. It is a 8 floors tower with a lot of historic collections. The 8th floor is the observation deck for someone to enjoy a magnificent panoramic view of Osaka City from 50m above.
There were about 600 cherry tress in the Osaka Castle Park which was music to our eyes and cameras. The castle has the greatest stone wall in Japan and it also has Hugh Stone No. 1 “Takoishi” (Ocotopus Stone) at the front of the Sakuramon masugata (square-shaped outer defense). It is presumed that its area is 59.4 square meters with 90cm in thickness and 1130 tons in weight.
Then we visited Nara Park (奈良公園) and the Todai-ji (東大寺 Eastern Great Temple). Todai-ji is a Buddhist temple complex, located in Nara (奈良) and it is listed UNESCO world Heritage Site as “Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara”. Deer, regarded as messengers of the gods in the shinto (神道) religion, roam the grounds freely. They were so used to tourists, sometime they are very aggressive to chase and ask tourists for food. Its Great Buddha Hall (大佛殿 Daibutsuden) houses the world's largest bronze statue of the Buddha Vairocana Buddha (如來佛).
A supporting post in the Daibutsuden has a hole, people say it is the same size as one of the Daibutsu’s nostrils. Legend has it that those who pass through it will be blessed with enlightenment in their next life. Quite a few of us tried and did get through it.
The next attraction was the Kiku-Masamune (菊正宗) Sake Brewery Museum in Kobe, Nara. Here, one can learn about the brewing process of sake and see some of the sake brewing tools. Of course there was a sake tasting too. Interesting to learn that it not only produces and sells sake, it also produces and sells a lot of other products such as cosmetic items.
The next stop was Meriken Park (美利堅公園) in Kobe’s port area. It was devastated by the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake (阪神大地震), but has now become a popular spot for locals and tourist again. A small memorial in the park commemorates the many victims who were killed around the port during the earthquake. It is waterfront with some of the cruise ships visibly docked in the port.
Then we visited the Kobe Chinatown (南京町) which has over a hundred Chiese restaurants, shops and a Chinese temple (關帝廟), and it is the most colorful and foreign-looking Chinatown in Japan.
Then we had the famous Kobe Beef for dinner at Kobe Steak Land. It was just like the type of dinner you are getting in Benihana in Houston. We set around a grill and the servant cooks the food right in front of us and distributes it to each individual. The Kobe beef has too much fat and the services were pretty bad. With all the hype of Kobe Beef dinner, we were not impressed. I think I can get better Kobe Beef dinner in Houston than in Kobe.
We checked into the Star Gate Hotel near the Kansai Airport (關西國際空港). It is the tallest high-rise hotel in Japan with a view of Kansai International Airport. They serve breakfast on the 54th floor with a magnificent view of the ocean and the Kansai Airport. By the way, Kansai is an international airport located on an artificial island in the middle of Osaka Bay.
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