Our first day in Osaka

Shinsekai

On our first day in Osaka, we walked through our neighbourhood. Before we tell you more about the walk, let us tell you about the city and the neighbourhood we are staying in. The city Osaka is a little different than Tokyo. In Tokyo the people are more on their own than they are in Osaka. We sometimes have the feeling that people come to Osaka to party. The neighbourhood is called Nishinari Ward and is different than the rest of Osaka. The Japanese say it is an unsafe neighbourhood, but we think it is more rough and we liked it.

The first day we walked through the neighbourhood and past a lot of nice things. The first thing we walked through was the Shinsekai shopping street. This street is filled with a lot shops and eating places. There was much to see here. In the weekend it is filled with people, but on the workdays it is empty. We walked to the Tsutenkaku Tower, which we wanted to climb. We wanted to go to the second (highest) deck, but there was a waiting line for 45 minutes and we decided we would come back later.

Address: Tsūtenkaku – Google Maps
Website: Tsutenkaku
Admission: 1200 Yen per adult

Address: Shinsekai street – Google Maps

Osaka Temples

On our second day in Osaka, we first went to see the Isshin-Ji temple. This is a Buddhist temple. The temple was different than the temples we saw in Thailand. As we call it, it is a religion based on the needs of the Shinto religion. For instance, the Shinto religion leave the funerals to the Buddhists. We found that the places for Buddhist religion is much darker colored than in Thailand. The temple itself was very nice and filled with woodwork. There were a lot of people praying. Next to the temple we found a cemetery of people that have been cremated. That was very impressive also.

Address: Isshin-ji – Google Maps
Website: Isshinji.or.jp
Admission: Free

The second temple was the Shitenno-Ji. It was also a Buddhist temple which was also used for ceremonies. The temple square was very big and there were two small buildings where we stepped inside. Inside there where statues of Buddha with a Shinto altar in front of it. When we got outside, we walked around the premises to see more of the area and found another Shinto shrine. Which looked old, but the lake in front of it, was a sight for sore eyes.

Address: Shitennō-ji – Google Maps
Website: Shitennoji.or.jp
Admission: 300,00 Yen per adult

We are staying is Osaka for the week and trying to do some sightseeing in Kyoto. For more information about Japan, go to Japan Travel Destination » Tim and Ellen’s Blog (timellen.net). See you next time.