Goodbye Kyoto, Hello Osaka!

It's our last day in Kyoto. The Gion Matsuri lanterns have been taken down in the lobby of the hotel. How efficient these Japanese people work.

To pass the time, we have the option of going on our own or going to the Toei Uzumasa Cinema Village (東映太奏映画村, Kyoto Studio Park). This is one of the places I had to go see. Well it was more for my boyfriend than for me. When I told him about this place, he said "take lots and lots of pictures."


We have free time to explore the area. Of course I want to find Super Hero Land, but we head out around the samurai sets. It feels like being in the show, even the workers are dressed up and ready to take pictures. The theme for Abarenbo Shogun plays in my mind. Also Mango's exclamation "Abunai Shogun" comes into my mind. One of the samurai tells us that there is a ninja show that has just started. We know that the boys are there and go inside to watch.

There is so much to see in this place, but we don't have a lot of time to see everything. With just around half an hour left we head off to Super Hero Land. My boyfriend is really into tokusatsu. Tokusatsu means "special effects," but is used to describe the live-action television shows and movies. Shows like Battle Fever J, Power Rangers, and Kamen Rider (all under Toei studios) are all tokusatsu series.




~Eiga Mura Kitty, Kyoto Maiko Kitty, and Tokugawa Shogun Kitty
















After the Toei Studio Park, we head back to the hotel and say goodbye to Kyoto. We are going on the shinkansen (bullet train) to Osaka. It's only going to be a 15 minute ride. No time really to take a nap, just sit down and relax.


We arrive in Osaka and head towards the Ramada Hotel. There seems to be a mix up with the reservations. Things happen for a reason. If the mix up did not happen, we would have had a chance to relax in our hotel rooms. Andy wouldn't have met all those children that were drawn to him. I couldn't believe that these children ranging from 4 through maybe 9 were talking in very good English. It shows the shift in the emphasis of the English language for elementary students in Japan. Horton stated that even though the study of the English language starts at an early age, the stress on grammar and reading are neglected. Horton's statement represents 5-10 years ago. After meeting those kids, it shows how much English is becoming a universal language.

After the reservation mix up is fixed, we are back out and head towards Osaka Castle (大坂城). Like the other shrines, temples, and castles, it is a long walk until we reach the entrance to the castle. We first have to enter through the gates. Then we walk down the side of the moat until we get to the bridge. After crossing the bridge we have to walk alongside the castle until we reach the main entrance.

According to DK Eyewitness Travel, Osaka Castle was the largest castle in the country during its time.

We don't have much time to look around. We head up to the top floor to see the view of Osaka. I get tired and need to find a place to sit and rest. Me and Bev end up on the 5th floor where there is a video playing. The video goes frame by frame of a large screen painting of the Siege of Osaka (大坂の陣). According to the video and Japan: Its History and Culture, the siege started in the winter of 1614.

Ieyasu feeling threatened by Hideyoshi's growing power, even after Hideyoshi's death, plotted against Hideyoshi's family for power. In 1614, Ieyasu started his siege conquering small forts and villages of the Toyotomi clan. To stop Ieyasu's advances, Hideyori promised to fill the outer moat of Osaka-jo.

In 1615, Hideyori secretly builds his forces and is rumored to be emptying the outer moat. In the next frames, it shows all the battles during the siege. It shows each side battling and commoners fleeing for safety. In the end, Toyotomi's clan is trapped and is forced to flee back to the castle and are all captured by Tokugawa.

It's a sad thing to watch as civil war reigned before Japan became unified under one shogun. In order to keep your land, you have to fight for it. In America, most times you inherit land and don't have to fight till the death for it. You may have to fight in court with relatives but not as severe as those days where you put your life on the line.

There is no time to rest. We head back to the hotel to get our bags into our rooms and change. In less than an hour we have to head out again to America-Mura and Dotonbori. Jayson and Yoko try to plan out what we will see. In the end, it is settled that we go to America-Mura and then walk to Dotonbori.

America-Mura has many America-inspired shops and shops that are found in America. Of course, there is a McDonald's restaurant. Also on the way towards Dotonbori, there is graffiti on one side of a building. Is that how America is depicted to the rest of the world?

We have a short 30 minutes to wander around America-Mura. I was glad to find a Body Line store here. We must come back during our free day. I wonder if the Harajuku store is really closed or maybe it just relocated.

After a short walk through a shopping area, we are on the Dotonbori bridge. It wasn't a far walk after all. Here we see the famous Glico-man and the large kani (crab). I notice the groups of guys on the bridge. Also there are many double dates meeting up on the bridge. So many teens and twenty year olds are gathered here. It must be because it is a Friday night. Unless every night is like this.

Now it's free time. We are in Osaka, it's time to EAT! Tomorrow is another long day. Maybe there will be more change of plans.