Alex Quinn's Japan Journal

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7/17/2005, Sara visit day 3: Himeji Castle, Osaka, Osaka Aquarium, meeting Akemi

In the morning, one of my teachers from school gave us a tour of Himeji Castle. Mr. Takei is an English teacher, but he has been a volunteer tour guide at the Himeji Castle for around 20 years. Ask him anything about the castle or Japanese history in general and you'll get a good, authoritative answer. Himeji Castle the most significant landmark anywhere near my town of Aioi. And, it's very significant. People around here like to point out that Himeji Castle was adopted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a world heritage site. It was built in the 17th century and is said to be the best remaining castle from that period. During World War II, the city of Himeji was a target because of military related production in the city, but Himeji Castle was spared by a stroke of luck.

As Sara, Mr. Takei, and I strolled around the castle, she took many pictures.

Himeji Castle.

Mr. Takei, his daughter, and me at Himeji Castle.

(I also went to Himeji castle with my mom on April 29, 2005.) After the tour of Himeji Castle, we headed for Osaka to meet Akemi and do some more sightseeing. Our first stop was the Umeda Sky Building, near the main train station in Osaka. We wandered around a little and had some soba for lunch.

This picture was taken inside the Umeda Sky Building. That's Akemi and me behind the mask.

(There are some other pictures of the Umeda Sky Building from when I went on December 5, 2004.) After we left the Umeda Sky Building, we split from Akemi temporarily and headed for the Osaka Aquarium. The aquarium is a little expensive and Akemi has seen it uncountable times.

We saw all kinds of sea creatures at the aquarium, including these penguins.

Penguins at the Osaka Aquarium.

I won't say which excites me more, but we did happen upon the Ice Cream Expo near the aquarium. The line was long and we were short on time, so I didn't get a chance to try any, but I was nevertheless very entertained by seeing the expo in all its glory. I picked up several copies of the color brochure, which you can see at my page devoted to the ice cream expo.

Here's me at the entrance to the expo. Looking at this photo, I feel a bit like a pervert or something, drooling and posed to consume my target.

Ice cream expo in Osaka.

Ice cream expo in Osaka. We were told it would be at least 30 minutes of waiting in line.

That night, we had ramen in Osaka. We tried to take a walk through America Mura, a neighborhood known for interesting fashion, but we were too late; everything was closed up. We stayed the night at Akemi's so we'd be in a good place to start our Kyoto expedition the next day.

Note: Most of these photos were taken by Sara.