Japan, Land of the Shining Sun!

Part D: Osaka

Personal Photo Album Part 24

 

[This is the last of my four-part travelogue on Japan. The first one on Tokyo, the second subtitled Horror of Hiroshima, and the third on Kyoto, subtitled Cultural Capital of Japan, have already appeared.]

 This iconic main tower of the Osaka Castle, housing a history museum, 

is one of the best-known tourist attractions in Japan

 

Osaka, one of the world’s most productive regions in terms of economic prosperity as measured by GDP (Gross Domestic Product), is the second most populous urban region in Japan after Tokyo, which happens to be number one in the whole world.  With a population of over 19 million, Osaka is also the tenth most populous in the world. Like Tokyo, it is also a highly modern and cosmopolitan city, coexisting with numerous well-preserved artifacts and symbols of Japanese history.

Arrival

I left Kyoto after breakfast and it took only about 15 minutes to reach the sprawling Shin Osaka station (see picture below), just about 60 km from Kyoto and a short distance away from the Osaka main station, by a bullet train. If my JR rail pass had allowed this, I would have liked to do it by a bus for its more leisurely pace and the chance to look at some of the sights between the two cities as well. As evident from the picture, my arrival was greeted with dense cloudy skies, threatening a huge downpour pretty soon.

At the time of booking my stay, as usual I was looking for proximity to a well-connected region of the city and had opted for the Shin Osaka railway station, but had ended up with the rather expensive, though not a five-star, New Osaka Hotel, just opposite the station (see picture below, taken on the following day).

 

My entry to the sparkling and lavishly furnished lobby of the hotel (see the picture below) also heralded a long period of inactivity, sparked off by a combination of bureaucratic hurdles and an unceasing rain.  Unlike the smaller and friendlier hotels at the other three cities, the official at this rather high-brow hotel in Osaka would not countenance my request for an early check-in, and stuck unshakably to its policy of not allowing any before the designated time. The fact that he did this with the traditional politeness and courtesy associated with the Japanese did not improve my mood. For once at least, my senior-citizen and foreigner status carried no weight! To my chagrin, I had reached there a full three hours ahead of time!  Because of the incessant rain outside, I was left with no alternative but to wait it out in the hotel lobby, which mercifully offered the compensation of comfortable seating.  I spent practically all this time catching up with some unusually serious reading on my smartphone screen, with occasional glances at the unrelenting rain outside.

At last, I was able to get into my room, which was a great deal more spacious and better furnished than in the other three cities, a just compensation for its distinctly higher price.  It was another hour before the rain stopped and I was able to go out on my sightseeing outing.  By then, the weather had cleared up dramatically, not to bother me again during the rest of my stay in Japan.  My top priority in Osaka was the great Castle that was located within walking distance and there I headed, but with a short interlude on the way at an interesting place.

Museum of History

One of the eye-catching modern iconic buildings in my vicinity was the headquarters of the famous NHK media broadcasting centre (see picture below). The seventh to tenth floors of this complex apparently also housed the interactive Osaka Museum of History, for which regrettably I had no time to spare.

 

Even more eye-catching was what the following photograph shows, two adjacent buildings capturing the superb contrast between the new and the old in Osaka. 

The ultra-modern hemi-cylindrical building on the left is the lower part of the NHK building shown in the previous picture, also housing the Museum of History of Osaka. The distinctively ancient structure on the right is an outdoor exhibit of the museum and has a lot of history associated with it.  Here is the English version of the description prominently displayed near the well-preserved structure:

                                    Hoenzaka Warehouses

The site of the Hoenzaka Warehouses, large, elevated-floor warehouse built around the latter half of the 5^th century*, were discovered here on the northern edge of the Uemachi Plateau. Sixteen such warehouses were constructed, arranged in an orderly fashion, each warehouse covering an area of 10m x 9m and having the characteristic multiple supporting posts and “Irimoya” roofing style.

It is believed that they were constructed by the same great king who built the large tumuli in Mozu and Furuichi, in order to make a display of his great power.

[*known as the Kofun period in Japanese history]

Here is a close-up of the warehouse and the descriptive poster, both seen in the previous picture from which the above text is reproduced: 

Osaka Castle

The Osaka Castle, or Osaka-jo in Japanese, was built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a Japanese feudal lord and samurai, a major character in Japanese history, in the 16^th century.  It got destroyed later and it was not until the beginning of the twentieth century that it was rebuilt in its present form.  It largely withstood the ravages of World War II and became a major tourist destination thereafter. 

From quite a distance away, one of the observation towers of the castle complex, with a large moat running all around, was an impressive sight (see picture below). The castle walls are made of strong and sturdy stone blocks, about a million of them, large and small, all around. 

From a closer approach, I could capture an ultra-zoom picture of the top observation deck of the main castle tower, whose close-up picture is displayed at the beginning of this article as a curtain raiser.  Here is the picture a close examination of which shows people all around the deck from their vantage point. 

Near the main entrance gate to the castle complex, the following plaque gives some basic information about it in English, obviously intended for non-Japanese visitors: 

Next to the above is another plaque, giving a detailed bilingual map of the entire castle complex (see picture below)

 

Here is the huge main entrance to the castle complex:

One of the most prominent sights within the castle complex is the Hokoku Shrine behind its Torii (gate) overlooking the statue of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, all three of them seen in the picture below:

 

The piece de resistance of the Osaka Castle is, without any doubt, the great main observation tower, one of Japan’s most famous landmarks.  Now in bright sunny weather, I couldn’t resist the temptation to have a visitor take my picture against its picturesque and colourful background, and the result is shown below.  

The tower is five stories high on the outside and eight on the inside, and built on a tall stone foundation to give added protection to its occupants.  It is surrounded by large moats and numerous fortifications.  There are two moats, inner and outer, the latter covering the entire castle complex.  Covering around 15 acres of land, the castle grounds have thirteen important structures that are deemed to be cultural assets by the Japanese government. Within the inner moat, the castle is divided into two major areas – the Hommaru and the Yamazato-Maru.  The main tower is located within Hommaru.

Inside the floors of the main tower is a museum showcasing a variety of historical materials, miniature figures and other artifacts related to the history of the place, and of the country.  The tower was crammed with visitors when I entered.  Even as I took a cursory look at the exhibits, I climbed my way up to the topmost floor from which one can look all around and see most of landmarks of the city.  On the way up, ignoring the option of an elevator directly to the top floor, one of the large exhibits that caught my fancy, apparently of most other visitors too, is captured in the picture below.  It is a panoramic view of a battle scene showing foot soldiers armed and engaged in the battle.

The view from the top was breathtakingly sharp and clear, especially because of the bright sunshine that had so badly eluded me in Kyoto earlier. I shot quite a large number of pictures, only a handful of which are featured here.

Below is a picture in which the elliptical dome is that of Osaka-jo Hall, a multi-purpose arena built to commemorate the 400^th anniversary of the Osaka Castle. Numerous sporting events, conferences, conventions, concerts and cultural events are held here.  It also has a restaurant with an excellent view of the river. 

The aerial view of the skyscraper in the picture below also shows the NHK building with its History Museum that I had passed by on my way to the castle.  Though dwarfed somewhat, it is still prominently seen on the lower left of the picture.

Here is a picture looking down from the top, against the background of tall buildings in the rear, with a closeup of a golden hued figurine on the top floor. 

Here is a sightseeing boat awaiting passengers for a ride around the inner moat of the castle: 

The picture below shows a footbridge over the inner moat linking the inner and outer portions of the castle park: 

The picture below is a view of Miraiza, a historical landmark inside Osaka Castle Park, which served as the headquarters of the fourth division of the Imperial Japanese Army, and now a shopping complex, with restaurants and other facilities.  I had no time to spend inside. 

Shitennoji Temple

The Buddhist Shitennoji Temple is considered to be Japan’s oldest temple.  It was founded in 593 by prince Shotoku Taishi, a major figure in Japanese history who also played a leading role in introducing Buddhism to Japan.  Most of the buildings were destroyed by fire and rebuilt several times, and several of the current buildings are quite new. The inner complex includes the Kondo or main hall, the Kodo lecture hall and a five-story pagoda, surrounded by a paved walkway with three gates. 

Here is the view through the main gate:

Here is the centrally located main building:

Here is a close-up view of the five-storey pagoda, much like other pagodas I saw in both Tokyo and Kyoto, with evidence of some recent renovation:

Here is another view of the pagoda, from a distance: 

Dotonbori

Dotonbori is the densely populated area in the neighbourhood of the canal of the same name, and is Osaka’s equivalent of New York’s Times Square. It is filled with towering neon signs, clubs, bars and restaurants serving up local specialties and an unbridled nightlife. I had no plans to take part or even witness any of it, but below is a daytime picture of a street (notice the English name by way of emphasis), even at that time bursting with activity, traffic, and a sea of humanity unlike anything I had seen anywhere else in the country, and much like what I had seen in most other metropolitan cities of the world. 

  

Here is a picture of the canal itself, with large business and entertainment establishments on both sides: 

I was attracted by a puzzling sight at the entrance to a prominent hotel on a nearby street and captured pictures of it, one of which is reproduced below.  The reader is welcome to figure out the significance of the four different faces in the picture and why they are depicted that way. 

One of the most attractive, tall and unusual buildings that stood out in the Dotonbori neighbourhood, arresting one’s attention instantly, was the Namba HIPS entertainment centre.  It is essentially an amusement complex with bowling alleys and numerous other indoor recreational facilities, and a large restaurant.  With an elevator and a distinctive rock-climbing wall on the outside, it certainly has a unique architecture. 

Elsewhere in Osaka

Needles to say, I missed a lot of tourist attractions in Osaka, which I will not even try to list here, but I did a walking tour of some areas close to my hotel. This included the exceptionally busy Osaka main railway station around which I nearly lost my bearings.  In the process of aimless exploration, I captured a number of pictures of places and buildings I especially liked.  Here are just a few of them:

The first one, of a large octagonal structure close to a metro line, called Namba Hatch, is an entertainment arena with standing room for about 1500 people, hosting a variety of live events such as soul music, rock, jazz, hip hop, etc. Located in the Minatomachi area of Osaka close to the Botonbori canal, it is known to be the largest hall of its kind in Japan.  It is also the headquarters of an FM radio station.

Above is a wonderfully attractive picture of a small park adjacent to the Namba Hatch seen in the last picture, with a pyramidal structure housing what appeared to me like a restaurant: 

The 300 m tall skyscraper in the picture above is that of Abeno Harukas, claimed to be Japan’s tallest building (not structure).  It projects upward from the Kintetsu Osaka Abenobashi metro station and houses the famous Abeno Harukas Art Museum located on the sixteenth floor of the building.

Adieu Japan!

After the brief interlude at Osaka, I returned the next day to Tokyo, did a bit of last-minute sightseeing, stayed overnight at the Smile Hotel, and left the following morning for Haneda airport to catch my flight back home. My return, via Kuala Lumpur, was totally uneventful. However, I carried with me unforgettable memories of a great country, and in my view, the Land of the Shining Sun, despite the rain and dark cloudy skies that stalked me in three of the four cities I visited!

Epilogue

This completes my four-part travelogue of Japan.  One of my readers has wondered why I chose to write about Japan now and not about any of the other countries I have visited, both before and after Japan.  The reason, in simple terms, is the way Japan impressed me more than any of the other countries. Nowhere else have I found the same level of courtesy, cleanliness, use of technology in daily life, extensive and fast public transportation system, proactive promotion of tourism, beautiful gardens and parks, and upkeep of tourist attractions.  Just three words summarise the reasons for my special preference to Japan – courtesy, cleanliness and punctuality.  Taken together, they define, not just describe, Japan!   

Tailpiece

One of my highly discriminating readers, who has also vetted my Japan travelogue writings, has made several useful comments, both general and specific.  I am responding to them here, recasting them in a Q & A format:

Q: In the locations where photography was not allowed, could I not have given a brief description of what I actually saw?

A: This would have been nice.  However, since the visit happened almost five years ago, I can’t trust my fading memory!

Q: While dwelling on the enormity of the destruction inflicted upon Hiroshima by the A-bomb, would it not have been pertinent, in the light of my professional background, to have said something about the physics behind the weapon?

A: Yes, I could have inserted a short piece.  I intend to make up for it with a separate and detailed blog article, provisionally titled: ‘Physics behind the Horror of Hiroshima!’

Q: Since most of the monuments, temples and shrines described in the writings are relics of great architectural interest and historical value, could I also not have gone into this aspect?  Also, about efforts at protecting them against earthquakes to which much of Japan is prone.

A: Yes, I ought to have. My only defence is my ignorance.  Rather sadly, I have been looking at them only as tourist attractions… and, my writings are just travelogues.

Q: Could I not have made some observations on ‘how this society makes old religious traditions coexist with ultra-modern ways of life’?

A: This is very true and a fact of Japanese life.  My broad observation is that they compartmentalize them and implement a self-imposed mutual non-interference pact, as some people seem to do in India and many other countries as well.

Q: ‘Any thoughts on how the Japanese have made such striking technological progress with such little use of the English language’?

A:  Rather superficially at least, the statement is true. This seems to be equally true of China and Korea, which show comparable levels of technological progress.  As basically a lay person, my observations are:

·       In all these countries, English is a compulsory subject of learning in the school system,

·       Most students tend to ‘take things easy’ and end up without attaining the degree of overall functional competency prevalent in India,

·       But, their level of English comprehension is a great deal better than their ability to speak in English with any degree of fluency,

·           Their ability to understand written English is quite high,

·       Since technical terms are international in their origin, flavour and usage, they seem to be at no great disadvantage with respect to communication of a technical nature, and

·       Language is not really a barrier to technological progress, as these three countries demonstrate so glaringly.