Osaka
and Kyoto
We went on a short tour to Japan taking the “Japan, Land of the Rising Sun”
tour of Nexus Holidays. We left Sydney on the night of 8th May ’16
by China Southern Airlines flight CZ 302. We had a change-over at Guangzhou,
China where we took another flight CZ389 to Osaka. We landed in Kansai International airport of
Osaka at 13:10 of 9Th May.
After clearing our luggage and coming out we were met by the tour guide,
Jennifer and joined by few other members of the tour group who had also
travelled by that flight. Together we left for the first hotel of stay,
Stargate Hotel, Kansai Airport. The hotel was convenient and we had a good view
of the Osaka bay from our room. The
hotel was located near the Rinku Premium outlets and Rinku pleasure town. Since
there was no other activity scheduled for that day we took it easy resting
after the long flight and then exploring the shops and restaurants in the Rinku
town. We were happy to locate there a McDonalds where we took chips and
cheeseburger as our night dinner.
The next day after
breakfast, we left with our luggage and 27 other members of the tour party to
Kyoto for sight-seeing, escorted by the tour guide. Kyoto was the capital of Japan and also the emperor’s residence until 1868. It has a
number of temples and shrines and heritage sites. It is the city of traditional
culture with a modern face. Here we first visited the historic temple of
Klyomizu-dera, established in 778. It is
on the UNESCO world heritage list as a historic monument. There is a
three-storied pagoda and a bell tower besides a big hall and other cultural
properties. This temple is also known as
“Pure Water Temple”, as it is on the site of Otowa waterfall in the wooded
hills and it is considered beneficial to drink the waters of this
waterfall. The water falls in three
streams and cups with handles are stacked there to catch water and drink. There
is also a shrine dedicated to love before which stand two stones wide part. Going
from one to another blindfolded successfully is supposed to help one to get a
suitable match. During our visit
to the temple it was drizzling all along. Myself holding umbrella and Rajam
wearing poncho braved the drizzle and negotiated the steep and busy approach to
the temple, crowded with souvenir shops
and restaurants selling traditional food, and also the visited the
various places of interest in the temple besides drinking the sacred pure water
for longevity and good health. We could not enjoy much the scenic surroundings
as it was drizzling on and off, mostly lightly and occasionally heavily.
Another important place we
visited was Kinkakuji, also known as Golden pavilion. It is a Zen temple built
overlooking a pond. There is an impressive garden surrounding the pond. We can look at the temple from across the
pond only as it is not open to visitors and only the windows are kept open to have a
peep-in from distance. It is a three
storeyed building with top two floors completely covered in gold leaf. As we go
round the pond, we come across statues behind the temple at which people throw
coins for good luck. Here also we went round with umbrella and in poncho,
unfazed by the continuous on and off drizzle and so could not enjoy much the garden.
The modern Kyoto station
stands in complete contrast to the traditional Kyoto city. It has an
observation deck on the 11th floor of the station building which is
reached through a number of elevators and finally by a flight of steps. There
is a covered skyway, 45 meters above the central hall covering the length of
the station. Through its glass walls one can have good views of the city as
well as the station below. There are also two malls and one departmental store
in the station, besides number of restaurants, few of them western-style. From
here only we took the bullet train to Mt. Fuji later. Photos of Kyoto can be seen @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/sam-sekar/albums/72157668852585025
Lunch was in a traditional
Japanese style restaurant. Though the
tour guide took pains to get certain vegetarian dishes, Japanese style, we could
not relish them and were content with a bowl of rice mixed with hot water like
soup. But luckily as we returned to Osaka, before going to the new hotel in the
heart of the town, ANA Crowne Plaza, we went round Shin-Sai Bashi, a market
place in Osaka, where we were happy to locate a McDonalds and we had our dinner
of chips and cheeseburger there. Our new
hotel was also very convenient and I could locate a convenient store “Family
Mart” nearby where bananas, packed egg and cheese sandwiches, ready to eat cup noodles
and yoghurts were available. Morning
breakfast was no problem anywhere as it was on buffet style and we could manage
with cereals, bread, butter, jam and fruits. It is only Japanese style lunch
and dinner that was the problem. Though
rice was available, yoghurt was not available and we learnt to carry it in some places. I was also looking for yoghurt in convenient stores
wherever we went. So much so whenever we
sat for dinner or lunch other group members started asking us whether we have
bought yoghurt.
The next day was a free day
in Osaka and we decided to go by ourselves to Osaka castle by local transport. In the hotel they had a road map for the way
from the hotel to castle giving directions in English with Japanese translation,
which was very useful. We took the train from the nearest Midosuji
line, Yodayabashi station, changed over in Honmachi to chu-o line and reached Tanimachi
4 Chome, and walked to castle. As almost
all boards and instructions were in Japanese, the cross over from one line to
another was also difficult and there was
quite a distance to walk in the subway to change lines. It was a very different
experience from the subways we had used in U.K. and Australia. The castle is an imposing structure and is an
important landmark in the city. The castle tower is surrounded by secondary
citadels, gates, turrets and moats and there is an informative museum in the
castle. It has also a lift that facilitates reaching the top. The nearby castle
park has lots of green and also sports facilities. It seems the park will present a grand sight in
the Cherry blossom season. As we were returning we could spot a Subway
Restaurant, and having a Vege-delite sandwhich there for dinner was a sheer delight. Photos of Osaka can be seen @ https://www.flickr.com/photos/sam-sekar/albums/72157668480332992
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Great trip and nice experiences! A change from your spiritual posts!!
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