Osaka
Ōsaka means “large hill” or “large slope.” It is the third most populous city in Japan with an estimated population of 2.8 million as of October 2025. [Wikipedia] It is a bustling metropolitan area, known as an economic hub and dense with covered streets lined on both sides with shops and cafes. Osaka is recognized as one of the most multicultural and cosmopolitan cities in Japan.
Osaka Castle
The castle grounds cover approximately 61,000 square metres (15 acres). The inner keep of Osaka Castle is situated on a plot of land roughly one square kilometre.
In 1583 Toyotomi Hideyoshi commenced construction on the site of the Ikkō-ikki temple of Ishiyama Hongan-ji. The plan featured a five-story main tower, with three extra stories underground, and gold leaf on the sides of the tower to impress visitors. The castle was damaged by conflicts and suffered catastrophic damage from bombing during World War II. “In 1995, Osaka's government approved yet another restoration project, with the intent of restoring the main keep to its Edo-era splendor. In 1997, restoration was completed. The keep is a concrete reproduction (including elevators) of the original and the interior is intended as a modern, functioning museum.” [Wikipedia]
Today the castle and its grounds are beautiful. The inside was extremely crowded with tourists and photography was not allowed except for the image of a tiger which I photographed.
Kanazawa
By January 2018, the city of Kanazawa had an estimated population of 466,000. It felt smaller to me and interesting sights were easily navigated by walking from our hotel. “The name "Kanazawa" (金沢, 金澤), which literally means "marsh of gold", is said to derive from the legend of the peasant Imohori Togoro (literally "Togoro Potato-digger"), who was digging for potatoes when flakes of gold washed up.” [Wikipedia]
Kanazawa was a highlight for me. We experienced good restaurants, interesting shops, sake tasting and preserved historical neighborhoods.
We enjoyed the beautiful Kanazawa Castle Park.
Kanazawa Castle
“Once the home of the Maeda family, who governed the Kaga Domain – present day Ishikawa and Toyama – for over 280 years, Kanazawa Castle is an essential part of the city’s history.
Many features of the castle including the original castle tower were destroyed in two major fires over its long history, and many of them have been rebuilt. Two of its longest lasting features are the Ishikawa-mon Gate, which was rebuilt in 1788, and the Sanjikken Nagaya which was rebuilt in 1858. Both of them have been designated as important cultural assets.
During the time of the Maeda family, Kanazawa Castle was surrounded by moats and had a fort function with loopholes for matchlocks on the outer wall in order to keep it secure from enemies. The beautiful white tiles that grace the roof are weathered lead and the walls made of white mortar with flat tiles attached to it. The stone walls vary in type throughout the castle and it is apparent that many of them were built in separate periods, with the oldest dating back more than 400 years ago.
Prior to Kanazawa Castle and its park’s restoration, it was used for many different purposes. For a time, it was used as base for the Japanese army and then a campus for Kanazawa University before being designated a National Historic Site in 2008.” [Visit Kanazawa]
The image below is a demonstration of how castle walls were structured. Layers were quite complex.
Note that the style of castle walls was found in neighborhoods as well.
Sake tasting in Kanazawa. We tasted three sake and we brought home two bottles of the one on the left.
Finger food served at the sake tasting had tiny dried fish that had the consistency of potato chips.
The famous Omicho Market in Kanazawa.
The 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa was an interesting museum. Images of words with live eels was especially unusual.
Kyoto
Ample archeological evidence suggests human settlement in the area of Kyoto began as early as the Paleolithic period. [Kazuya Nakagaawa] “As of 2020, the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it the ninth-most populous city in Japan. More than half (56.8%) of Kyoto Prefecture's population resides in the city. The city is the cultural anchor of the substantially larger Greater Kyoto, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) home to a census-estimated 3.8 million people.” [Wikipedia]
Kyoto Station
“Kyōto Station (京都駅, Kyōto-eki) is a major railway station and transportation hub in Kyōto, Japan. It has Japan's second-largest station building (after Nagoya Station) and is one of the country's largest buildings, incorporating a shopping mall, hotel, movie theater, Isetan department store, and several local government facilities under one 15-story roof…
“The first Kyoto Station opened for service by decree of Emperor Meiji on 5 February 1877.” [Tetsu Ishino]
“The current Kyoto Station was designed by architect Hiroshi Hara, and it opened in 1997 which commemorated Kyoto's 1,200th anniversary. It is 70 meters high and 470 meters from east to west, with a total floor area of 238,000 square meters. Architecturally, it exhibits many characteristics of futurism, with a slightly irregular cubic façade of plate glass over a steel frame.” [第8章 都市施設 [Chapter 8: Urban facilities].
Kyoto Tower
“Kyoto Tower (京都タワー, Kyōto-tawā) is an observation tower located in Kyoto, Japan. The steel tower is the tallest structure in Kyoto with its observation deck at 100 metres (328 ft) and its spire at 131 metres (430 ft).” [Perrin Lindelauf] The 800-ton tower stands atop a 9-story building, which houses a 3-star hotel and several stores.
“Kyoto Tower was proposed in the early 1960s, and it was planned to be constructed and completed in time to correspond with the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. [Perrin Lindelauf] Construction began in 1963 on the former site of Kyoto's central post office and was completed near the end of 1964.” [Gary Tegler] “Unlike many other towers (such as Tokyo Tower) that are constructed using metal lattice frames, Kyoto Tower's interior structure consists of many steel rings stacked on top of each other.” [Kyoto City Tourism and Culture Information System] “The structure was then covered with lightweight steel sheets with a thickness of 12–22 mm (0.47–0.87 in). The sheets were then welded together and painted white. [Wikipedia] The intended overall effect was for the tower to resemble a Japanese candle.” [Kyoto City Tourism and Culture Information System]
“Designed by modernist architect, Mamoru Yamada with the expert advice of Makoto Tanahashi, a doctor of engineering at Kyoto University, Kyoto Tower was built to withstand the forces of both earthquakes and typhoons. The head of the tower's business division, Tsuyoshi Tamura, claims it can withstand winds of up to 201 mph (90 m/s) and survive an earthquake of far greater magnitude than that of the Great Hanshin or Great Kantō earthquakes.” [Gary Tegler]
"The tower was first opened to the public on December 28, 1964. [Kyoto City Tourism and Culture Information System] Within its first year of opening, 1 million people visited the tower's observation deck. Throughout the years, the tower's draw as a tourist attraction has diminished. By 1999, observation deck ticket sales dropped to less than 400,000 a year, or about 1,100 a day." [Gary Tegler]
“Kyoto Tower has been the subject of controversy since it was in its planning phase. Public opposition not only stemmed from the tower's ¥380 million ($1.056 million in 1963) price tag, but also from the fact that many believed the needle-shaped spire was too modern looking for the ancient capital. [Gary Tegler] The construction regulations in Kyoto that restrict a building's maximum height increase the sense of proportion between the tower and the low machiya and ferroconcrete apartment blocks below. These municipal regulations have ensured that the tower maintains its status as the tallest man-made structure in the city since its construction.” [Perrin Lindelauf]
View of Kyoto from Kyoto Tower in the evening.
Shopping in Kyoto at Nishiki Market.
Kobe Beef "hot dog."
Matcha Tea IPA Beer
Dinner at Masumasu Masuda, a one-room, one-table restaurant owned and operated by this couple.
Sake glasses
Signature dish: “Masumasu Masu Sushi” features Itadakimasu trout cured Kyoto-style with grape juice. The sushi rice is mixed with simmered Nikko yuba (tofu skin)
and seasonal boiled peanuts.
and seasonal boiled peanuts.
Japanese Tea Ceramony
“The Japanese tea ceremony (known as sadō/chadō (茶道, 'The Way of Tea') or chanoyu (茶の湯) lit. 'Hot water for tea') is a Japanese cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of matcha (抹茶), powdered green tea, the procedure of which is called temae (点前).” [Kristin Surak]
We prepared for the ceremony by dressing in kimono. The ceremony is a solemn occasion in the Zen tradition.
Every movement was precise, including the positioning of the tea bowl in one's hands.
Nishi Hongan-ji Temple in Kyoto, a UNESCO World Heritage temple.
I was struck by how often I saw old trees propped up because they could no longer sustain their own weight.
Katsura Imperial Villa
The palace originally belonged to the prince of the Hachijō-no-miya (八条宮) family.
“The Katsura Imperial Villa is a good example of the essence of Japanese traditional design. The Villa combines principles usually used in early Shinto shrines and merges it with the esthetics and philosophy of Zen Buddhism.” [Michael Fazio, Marian Moffett and Lawrence Wodehouse]
Kiyomizudera temple
Kiyomizudera (清水寺, literally "Pure Water Temple") is one of the most celebrated temples of Japan. It was founded in 780 on the site of the Otowa Waterfall in the wooded hills east of Kyoto and derives its name from the fall's waters. The temple was originally associated with the Hosso sect, one of the oldest schools within Japanese Buddhism, but formed its own Kita Hosso sect in 1965. In 1994, the temple was added to the list of World Heritage Sites. [Japan Guide]
Gionkaku tower at Daiun-in Temple
A bamboo grove near Tenryu-ji Temple, Kyoto.
Tenryu-ji Temple
Tenryuji (天龍寺, Tenryūji) is the most important temple in Kyoto's Arashiyama district. It was ranked first among the city's five great Zen temples, and is now registered as a world heritage site. Tenryuji is the head temple of its own school within the Rinzai Zen sect of Japanese Buddhism.
Tenryuji was built in 1339 by the ruling shogun Ashikaga Takauji. Takauji dedicated the temple to Emperor Go-Daigo, who had just passed away. The two important historic figures used to be allies until Takauji turned against the emperor in a struggle for supremacy over Japan. By building the temple, Takauji intended to appease the former emperor's spirit. [Japan Guide]
Beautiful Japanese fabrics.
A wall of sliding doors, seen here in two images.
More images of Kyoto.
Nara
Nara has an abundance of deer that roam the streets. Vendors sell deer food.
Todaiji temple
Tōdai-ji (東大寺, Todaiji temple; "Eastern Great Temple") is a Buddhist temple complex that was once one of the powerful Seven Great Temples, located in the city of Nara, Japan. The construction of the temple was an attempt to imitate Chinese temples from the much-admired Tang dynasty. Though it was originally founded in the year 738 CE, Tōdai-ji was not opened until the year 752 CE. The temple has undergone several reconstructions since then, with the most significant reconstruction (that of the Great Buddha Hall) taking place in 1709. [World History Encyclopedia]
Todaiji is well-known for the Nara Daibutsu, also known as "The Great Buddha of Nara," which is an image of the Buddha Birushana. The current Buddha was repaired after suffering significant damage in 1692. [William E. Deal]
Tōdai-ji Museum
The Tōdai-ji Museum was opened in October 2011, as a place to safely store and exhibit these temple treasures. In order to protect works particularly vulnerable to fires and earthquakes such as clay sculptures, each of the galleries and storage rooms was equipped with seismic isolation systems. [The Tōdai-ji Museum]
Himeji Castle
Himeji Castle dates to 1333 when Akamatsu Norimura built a fort on top of Himeyama hill. The fort was dismantled and rebuilt as Himeyama Castle in 1346 and then remodeled into Himeji Castle two centuries later. Himeji Castle was then significantly remodeled in 1581 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who added a three-story castle keep. In 1600, Tokugawa Ieyasu awarded the castle to Ikeda Terumasa for his help in the Battle of Sekigahara, and Ikeda completely rebuilt the castle from 1601 to 1609, expanding it into a large castle complex. [The Daily Yomiuri]
Himeji Castle is the largest and most visited castle in Japan, and it was registered in 1993 as one of the first UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the country. [Official Tourism Guide for Japan Travel]
Kōko-en
Kōko-en (好古園) is a Japanese garden located next to Himeji Castle in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. ["Japanese Gardens". Official Tourism Guide for Japan Travel.] As reported in a newspaper article, the garden was constructed in 1992 at the site of the lord's west residence, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Himeji municipality.
Finally, a few words about Japanese trains. They are very fast. Trains like this one travel at speeds up to 300 kilometers per hour. When passing by at full speed they shake the air. They also run on time as it does everything in Japan.
