So much to see and so little time. Waking up in Japan for the first time on this second day in country after a great nights sleep was refreshing and I was excited to go exploring. We would start the day with an unexpected breakfast…heartier than I thought it would be. The hotel served a fresh buffet of some American breakfast, but mostly traditional Japanese breakfast food. It was a decent cultural awakening…we were not in Kansas anymore.
This second day would bring us to some of the highlights of the trip…CupNoodles Museum, Osaka Castle and the famous Dotonbori outdoor entertainment and street food district. Here we go:
CupNoodles Museum
Ok, first thing people….let’s get this right. It’s NOT Cup O’ Noodles or Cup Of Noodles. It’s CupNoodles, and we were going right into the noodle heart of it all- the museum OF noodles, including the original kitchen where the first CupNoodles was made.
Actually, the kids were there to make their own custom CupNoodles. They were hustled away into a food making classroom where they were shown all the different flavors and types of ramen they could make and were allowed to go to work. That means I was loose to look around so I could bring you these rad pics.
Lunch
Lunch at a fashionable area right outside the park that surrounds Osaka Castle was a reminder of my own ignorance in not asking the right questions before blithely ordering what I thought looked great on the menu.
Lunch came out and looked great. Exactly what I ordered. Except…it was cold. Really cold, like not the hot chicken and noodle lunch I was expecting. Should have done a bit more homework in line before I ordered. My fault. But the gyoza were great.
Osaka Castle
Before I continue writing more about Osaka Castle, I wanted you to understand the difference between what westerners might think of a castle and what Osaka Castle really was. To me, Osaka Castle is a fort, because the largest and grandest building (keep or tenshu) wasn’t used as a residence and wasn’t usually used directly in the defense of the whole structure. Instead, the large keep/tenshu we think of as Osaka Castle was a storage building in peacetime and an armory during conflict. The reader should also understand that the tenshu was burned down and rebuilt a number of times over the centuries, by both conquering warlords and lightning. Many of the buildings in Japan were built out of wood and had a propensity to burn when struck by lightning. The fact that so many very old buildings had been rebuilt over the centuries is telling, as Japan is subject to hurricanes, earthquakes and lightning.
The entire area around the tenshu forms a very, very large and strong fort, the entirety of which is commonly called Osaka Castle. Take a look at the overall photo I’ve put below with my markings.
After entering the imposing Sakuramon Gate over the inner moat and passing the huge stones that make up the inner defense wall, you enter the main complex that makes up Osaka Castle. Directly in front of you across a large flat area is the five story tenshu (keep). To the left is a very large flat area that looks like a military parade deck or a martial fighting area and on the right is the Miraiza Building. This building has an interesting history that was glossed over by our guide (probably on purpose). Built in 1931 during the commemoration of Emperor Hirohito’s enthronement, the building became the military headquarters to the 4th Japanese Imperial Army Division. This division was primarily recruited and based around Osaka and participated in campaigns during the Sino-Russian conflict and several other uprisings. The Division was used during WWII extensively in the Philippines and other places, especially during the campaigns to take Corregidor, Bataan and the Luzon Peninsula.
As you read through this portion of the post you might notice there’s no pictures from inside the tenshu, which functions as a modern museum. This is on purpose, as we were asked not to take pictures inside the museum because of some of the ancient historic pieces housed there. Flash photography can have a damaging effect on pigments in writing on various surfaces. And yes, the museum has real and ancient kanji writing in climate controlled cases on several floors of the museum. But we were allowed to take pics on the top floors for some great views:
Exploring Dotonbori
Dotonbori is a district inside the city of Osaka with a canal running through it and several streets dedicated to nightlife, entertainment and lots of restaurants serving both street food and inside food. During our time there, I was exhausted (jet lag), overheated and had not done any reading on the local area. I also don’t do well with huge crowds but since the family wanted to go to Japan so badly, I did my best. I’m sorry I was a grump to the family and our friend who chose to go along with us on this day.
Going through the area in the middle of the hottest time of the afternoon wasn’t a great way to go, but I understand why the group did it. There were already huge crowds in the area in the heat, but trying to keep track of even our very small individual groups in the crowded darkness would have been impossible. So, in retrospect I’m glad we went in the daylight, even through it was over hot and very humid. Here’s pics of Dotonbori:
And so after a long day of seeing more of Osaka, we boarded our heavenly air conditioned bus and made our way back to the hotel. The third day would come a bit earlier, as we were headed for Nara.
Recommendations if you go:
-CupNoodles Museum is very cool, especially if you or the kids love ramen. However, the place isn’t geared toward just showing up and getting a spot in one of the classrooms for junior to make ramen. I would recommend getting a reservation. For us adults, the museum and gift shop were great, kept me entertained while the kids were in the workshop.
–Osaka Castle: YES. I would go back and spend an entire day in the park, just to see all the buildings we didn’t get to do see. As a family we would eat and perhaps have a cocktail in the Miraiza building just to check it out and I would want to go look at the state guest house and tea room if allowed. There’s a great area you can walk to that serves various kinds of food lunches not far away.
–Dotonburi: Great to go see and experience, once (for me). I think it would be a rad place to go if I was in college or with a group of friends but maybe not with young kids. If you’re looking for some street food or a distraction and don’t mind the crowds, this is a good spot. Very colorful and outgoing.
As someone who writes I’m finding that I sometimes appreciate and get more excited about places I’ve been after I’m back and can sit down and write about our travels. That certainly seems to be the case with our trip to Japan. Writing about Dotonburi is cool and exciting because I know a bit more about it now, but while we were there I was among a million of my closest friends in 90 degree heat with humidity. I had not researched the area well and had no idea the canal and entertainment area had been in place since the 1600’s. Shame on me. I’ll do better next time.
We travel with our kids and write about it. On this website you can find writing about our extended cruising trip in Central America, our travels around the US by school bus, our travels around the rest of the globe, our donkey raising and racing habit and various types of cooking/recipes. Yep, we keep busy.
Here’s some of our other writing about this Japan trip:
Travel With Family- A Summer Trip To Japan- 1
Travel With Family- Osaka, Japan- Day 1
Back to Japan…in a most unexpected way- By The HelmsMistress
