Today the ship arrived in Osaka, Japan at 8 AM. Historically, Osaka was a merchant cit;y known as the "nation's Kitchen due to its prominence in the rice trade. Today, it's a large bustling port city an commercial center known for its modern architecture, nightlife and delicious food giving the city its modern nickname of the "City of Food". It's a place where almost nothing is old as the city was almost completely destroyed during WWII. The best known historical landmarks are the 16th century shogunate Osaka Castle, which has undergone several restorations and Sumiyoshi-tasha, one of Japan's oldest Shinto Shrines. However just an hour's journey away form Osaka will take you either Kyoto or Nara, two Japanese cities that are known for their ancient temples and shrines. Japan has been very careful in integrating the old with the new.
It was the first day in Japan so they required everybody to leave the ship and present their passport in the cruise terminal. I took a tour to Kyoto called "Kyoto, the Ancient Capital". The tour was scheduled to leave at 9 AM but did not leave until 9:30 AM. The bus drove through Osaka a town of 2.8 million and arrived at the 1603 Nijo Castle. The drive took about 1.25 hours but you could not tell where the Osaka area ended and the Kyoto area started. Japan has been very careful in integrating the old with the new. You will see an old temple or Shrine and next door will be a modern high rise building.
The Nijo Castle was originally built in 1603 as the official Kyoto residence of the first Tokugawa Shogun, Ieyasu. I was completed in 1626 by the third Tokugawa Shogun, Iemitsu with the addition of some structures transferred from Fushimi Castle (built in the Momoyama period: 1573-1614). Nijo Castle is one of the finest examples of early Edo period and Momoyama culture in Japan, as it makes splendid use of early Edo period building designs, lavish paintings, and carvings that lemistu generously commissioned.
In 1867, when Yoshinobu, the fifteenth Tokugawa Shogun returned sovereignty to the Emperor, the castle became the property of the Imperial family. In 1884, it was renamed the Nijo Detached Palace. It was donated to the City of Kyoto and renamed Nijo Castle in 1939.
The castle was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994.
Our next stop was at the Kinkaku-ji Temple originally built in 1397 as a retirement dwelling for Shogun Yoshimitsu, then reconstructed in 1955, faithful to the 14th century design. Elaborate gold foil lends the structure as almost gaudy appearance, as well as being appropriate to its name the "Golden Pavilion". I have been to the Golden Pavilion on the 2010 World Cruise and I may also have been to the Nijo Castle.
Kinkaku (The GoldenPavilion) is a shariden, a Buddhist hall containing relics of Buddha. The pavilion is part of a temple that is formally named Rokuon-ji Temple, but commonly called Kinkaku-ji Temple or Temple of true Golden Pavilion, Rokuon-ji is a Zen Buddhist temple, in the Shokokuji School of the Rinzai Sect.
The area was owned by a statesman, Salionji Kintsune. Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, the 3rd shogun of the Muromachi period, took a liking to the area and acquired it from the Saionji family in 1397.
After Yoshimitsu died the villa was converted into a temple by the priest Muso-kokushi. The garden and buildings centered on the Golden Pavilion were said to represent the Pure Land of Buddha in this world. In 1994, Rokuon-ji Temple was registered as a World Cultural Heritage Site.
We then went to lunch at 2PM at ANA Crown Plaza Hotel. After lunch we went to the Heian Shinto Shrine. The Shrine also has a garden which we visited. We then made a stop at a Handicraft Center before heading back to the ship. We arrived at the ship at 6:30 PM so I went to my room and went to dinner. The show was at 9:30 PM and was put on by a local Osaka group called the Ikura Circus.
Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Japan. It is the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and the largest component of the KeihanshinMetropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Japan and among the largest in the world with over 19 million inhabitants. Situated at the mouth of the Yodo River on Osaka Bay, Osaka is the second largest city in Japan by daytime population after Tokyo's 23 wards and the third largest city by nighttime population after Tokyo's 23 wards and Yokohama, serving as a major economic hub for the country.
Historically a merchant city, Osaka has also been known as the "nation's kitchen" and served as a center for the rice trade during the Edo period.
Kyoto is a city located in the central part of the island of Honshu, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the Imperial capital of Japan for more than one thousand years, it is now the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture located in the Kansai region, as well as a major part of the Kyoto-Osaka-Kobemetropolitan area. Kyoto is also known as the thousand-year capital.
Nijō Castle is a flatland castle in Kyoto, Japan. The castle consists of two concentric rings (Kuruwa) of fortifications, the Ninomaru Palace, the ruins of the Honmaru Palace, various support buildings and several gardens. The surface area of the castle is 275,000 square metres (2,960,000 sq ft), of which 8,000 square metres (86,000 sq ft) is occupied by buildings.
It is one of the seventeen Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto which have been designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
This picture was from the bus in Osaka, Japan on the way to Kyoto, Japan.
This picture was from the bus in Osaka, Japan on the way to Kyoto, Japan.
This picture was from the bus in Osaka, Japan on the way to Kyoto, Japan.
This picture was taken from the bus in Kyoto, Japan.
This picture was taken in Kyoto,Japan near the Nijo Castle.
This picture was taken at the entrance to the Nijo Castle.
This picture was taken near the entrance to the Nijo Castle
This picture was taken at the Nijo Castle. To enter this building we had to take off our shoes.
This picture was taken at the Nijo Castle
This picture was taken at the Nijo Castle. This is part of the main building where we took a walking tour. No pictures were allowed in this building and we had to take off our shoes.
This is a picture of the garden located at the Nijo Castle
This is a picture of the garden located at the Nijo Castle
This picture was taken from the bus of Kyoto, Japan
This is a picture of the Golden Pavilion at the Kinkaku-ji Temple
This is a picture of the Golden Pavilion at the Kinkaku-ji Temple
This is a picture of a very old tree at the Kinkaku-ji Temple
This a picture of the lunch that we had at the hotel.
This picture was taken in the lobby of the hotel where we had lunch
This picture was taken at the Heian Shinto Shrine.
This picture was taken at the Heian Shinto Shrine.
This picture was taken at the Heian Shinto Shrine.
This picture was taken at the Heian Shinto Shrine.
This picture was taken at the garden at the Heian Shinto Shrine.
This picture was taken at the garden at the Heian Shinto Shrine.
This picture was taken at the entrance to the Heian Shinto Shrine.
This picture was taken in the Handicraft Center.
This picture was taken in the Handicraft Center.
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