Just finished my first Japanese Language exam last Friday, guess I’m gonna get howled by the Sensei next week for repeating my silly mistakes again…
Doutonbori
The schedule has been quite packed recently, and I can hardly put this plan to work. Have been planning for this one day trip since my last visit to Osaka. Since the exam was over, why not?
This time, I am a lone wolf wondering on the street.
Osaka is one of the largest cities in Japan. There are so many interesting places here, and it is even interesting to know how they are able to build them and preserve these historical spots in this highly packed city area. My one day journey began from here:
1. HOUZENJI TEMPLE
(Rinku Town Station —> [Nankai Line] —> Namba Station)
This is one of the famous shrines here in Osaka. It is not a very big shrine, but is famous for its unique Mizukake Fudo, a moss covered statue. People normally visit the shrine to pray and spread water to the statue for prosperous business and fulfillment in love.
Houzenji Temple entrance
Mizukake Fudo Statue
2. TSUTENKAKU TOWER
(Namba Station —> [Sennichi-mae Line] —> Nippombashi Station —> [Sakaisuji Line] —> Ebisucho Station <Exit 3>)
Also being known as the “Heaven Reaching Tower”, the Tsutenkaku Tower was built in 1912, and has undergo a few major reconstruction since then. The height of the tower is about 103 meter, and was one of the highest towers in Asia at that time. The main attraction here is the city view from the observatory deck at the height of 91 meter, and the Billiken statue, guardian of the tower as well as God of Happiness.
The Tsutenkaku Tower
View from the observatory deck
Billiken, statue of the God of Happiness
3. SHITENNOJI TEMPLE
(Ebisucho Station —> [Sakaisuji Line OR walk through Den Den Town] —> Nippombashi Station —> [Sennichi-mae Line] —> Tanimachi 9 Chome Station —> [Tanimachi Line] —> Shitennoji-mae Yuhigaoka Station <Exit 4>)
One of the very famous Buddhist temples here. The Shitennoji Temple was built by Prince Shotoku in the 6th century to honor the four heavenly kings. Each of the pagoda has its own uniqueness and serves for traditional rituals.
Shitennoji Temple entrance
The temple tower
4. OSAKA MUSEUM OF HISTORY
(Shitennoji-mae Yuhigaoka Station —> [Tanimachi Line] —> Tanimachi 4 Chome Station <Exit 9>)
If you wanna know more about Osaka history and evolution, this is the perfect place to be. The Osaka Museum of History has a vast collection of information of Osaka since its discovery. Each floor contains illustrations from different era, starting from the Daikokuden of Nara Period to The Water City of Edo Period.
Osaka Museum of History
Some of the miniature models of traditional village
5. OSAKA MARITIME MUSEUM
(Tanimachi 4 Chome Station —> [Chuo Line] —> Cosmosquare Station <Exit 1>)
Originally, Osaka was well known as port and hub for maritime transportation. In history, people from various corner around the world had gathered here for goods exchange and exploration. As a result, different cultures have been brought and integrated into Japan’s tradition. One of the renowned traditions is the knowledge of ship building.
Osaka Maritime Museum
The Osaka Maritime Museum contains information on the evolution of ships building knowledge since ancient time. The materials, tools, skills, etc are presented here and you might be amazed to know how people of olden time were capable of building such huge sea vehicles with very limited resources.
The museum built on the sea, with an underwater passage connecting it to the land
The unique roof pattern
Pirates of the Caribbean …???
Naniwamaru, a life-size replica trading ship
Miniature model of ancient Osaka Harbor
6. WTC COSMO TOWER OBSERVATORY
(Cosmosquare Station —> [Nanko Port Town Line] —> Tradecenter-mae Station)
Here comes the interesting part, the evening view of Osaka City from the WTC Cosmo Tower. This 55-story sky scraper has a height of about 256 meters, and is the second tallest building in Japan. The building houses offices from companies from various countries, and an inverted pyramid shaped observatory deck is built at the top for tourists visit.
WTC Cosmo Tower
Fountain at the ground floor
In fact, this is one of the famous spots for wedding dinner… romantic~~~
Artificial island
Large scale artificial islands are very common in Japan. They are used as harbor, residential area and even as international airport. It is amazing to know how they actually build something that big on the sea, which requires advanced technology and high maintenance cost. One of the jokes that we heard recently from our admin officer is that, one of the reasons Japan economy is fluctuating recently is because they “poured too much money and resources into the sea“. 
7. UEMEDA SKY BUILDING “FLOATING GARDEN” OBSERVATORY
(Tradecenter-mae Station —>[Nanko Port Town Line] —> Cosmosquare Station —> [Chuo Line] —> Honmachi Station —> [Midosuji Line] —> Uemeda Station <Exit 5>)
Undoubtedly, this is the spot I favored most from my whole day exploration around Osaka City. The fantastic night view of Osaka City !!! Too bad I don’t have a better camera to capture it.
Miniature model of the Uemeda Sky Building
The Uemeda Sky Building is the seventh tallest building in Osaka (about 173 meter), and comprises of two towers connected by escalators in between. It is a famous landmark in Osaka for its magnificent city night view.
View from the top on the “Floating Garden”
Glowing bits on the floor
Anything in white glows
One day, you will be standing here, with me…
That’s the end of my day trip, 7 places in one day, adventurous and get to use what I’ve learned in class (with the most frequently used being AYFer’s “すみません，もう 一度 お願いします” ). Kinda rush actually, walked a lot and very tiring, which is why I chose to travel alone.
Now updates, my request to join my proposed professor has been accepted. At the moment still don’t have much detail about the coursework, but the organization in charge of our university placement is in the process of planning a meet up for me with the professor. Hopefully everything will be fine.
Till then ~~~
