2016年 12月 18日 (日)
New day = new slow start. Previously, I mentioned that I barely explored Osaka. This was the result of Osaka acting as a hub of sorts for the day trips made out to neighbouring cities. Like today's neat trip out to Nara, a place known for its deer and home to many world heritage sites.
The hour long trip on the Osaka loop line led us to the nice neighbourhood of Nara.
As the wheels on the bus went round and round, we reached the first of the multitude of attractions - Kofukuji, a temple ground. Or more appropriately, deer. As I mentioned before, Nara is known for its infestation. So while the guys spent time with the deer, I went off with my dear to the actual attraction.
Kofukuji, for the most part, was free but had select complexes behind a small fee. Between all the landmarks was a surprisingly large amount of open space that had the right amount of tourists: bare to none.
Following the blue dotted GPS, we reached the secluded attraction that was Yoshikien Garden. Routing through quiet side streets and picturesque alleys, we arrived at a small booth where a nice lady took our nationalities instead of our money.
While Yoshikien was free, the adjacent garden of Isuien was not (admission of ¥900). Not that it mattered as its doors closed for winter. Speaking of, there wasn’t much blooming in the garden but that didn't detract from the beauty. Like Kofukuji, the garden was nice and empty with a calming sense of peace.
Leaving the peaceful gardens brought us back to a populated Todaiji, another temple ground. In the midst of tending to ourselves, my hawk eyes spotted some familiar faces within the ever growing crowds - the guys we left behind! Regrouped, we wandered the vast grounds... to play with deer. Nice.
It wasn't just all deer, just so you know... I swear!
Lastly, we visited Kasuga Tasisha, a popular Nara Shinto shrine. Like the other attractions, the grounds were free to roam but going further invited a small fee. While I can’t comment on beyond what I visited, I can say that for what I did see, it was a spectacular sight. The abundance of lanterns found scattered across the grounds were stunning. Whether they were grounded moss covered stone lanterns or the hanging cold metal ones, it was enlanterning.
Having had enough Nara for the day, we decided to return to good 'ol Osaka. On the way, we stumbled into some performances of amateur sumo and noh (Japanese theatre).
Back in Osaka, we closed off the day with a visit to the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan.
As we made our timely arrival, crowds had gathered in droves towards the courtyard for this speech. As the speaker uttered their last words, a string of lights buzzed on, radiating its luminance and bringing to life the sea creatures that had gone unnoticed.
After that bedazzling feature, we shuffled our way through the line to purchase a costly ¥3000 combo ticket. Providing us entry into the aquarium and a ride on a Ferris wheel. Worth it? nheeeeeh... it wasn’t the worst.
It didn’t feel like it when we were moving around but, ultimately, the aquarium was massive. Passing through the typical aqua tunnel and few exhibits led us to this tall escalator to the top. Which was really fascinating as we had to progress through the facility by going downwards in a spiral as the centre was occupied by a giant tank, housing the innumerable amount of sea creatures. Adding to that, we had smaller exhibits adorning the walls in the spaces between.
Reaching the lower levels presented us with more exhibits, the touchy feely floor and, of course, the gift shop.
The night's menu was planned for Kuma Kafe, a place just minutes from the aquarium. Ready to chow down, I was quickly on the move as time was ticking. Brimming with excitement, I entered only to be greeted by disappointment. They weren't accepting any more customers.
With hopes crushed, we headed back to Osaka central. This led us to El Pancho, a Mexican restaurant. Located in a building within a shopping complex, it can be found on the ?th floor. While most details are hazy, I do recall the elevator being decked out with stickers and tags.
Upon entering the saloon styled door, I was in awe by the restaurant's décor. Though my picture shows a well lit place, it's been boosted a few stops. It was actually fairly dim and where we were seated, lighting was practically non-existent.
I didn't like my meal... Food was saltier than tears shed from not eating at Kuma Kafe. Ordering two items was a costly mistake as the filling was the same: sodium. Though I didn't enjoy my meal, Carolyn seemed to enjoy hers. Your mileage may vary.
Powering through the last kilos of salt, we made our way home to wander the neighbourhood and called it a night. Thanks for reading and join me next time as we travel to Kobe.
Nara enough? Trot on over to Carolyn's post to see more of the cuties (like moi). Not about the picture perfect moments? Prefer visuals like video? We got you covered with Vivian's video for her vibrant vision of Nara.