Another morning in Osaka

---

Osaka was the first port we docked at after leaving Tokyo. A lovely sunny day greeted us as we set off to the Shitennoji temple. As I was wandering around the paintings reflecting the life of Buddha I thought they looked familiar but then we have been in a lot of Buddhist temples. Within the complex there is a tall pagoda which one could climb to the top after taking off your shoes. We realized we had done this before so did not climb it again as I recall the view wasn't that brilliant. Indeed Osaka is not a pretty place. Japan is so full of people that high rises and apartments predominate. We sat for a while on a bench next to an elderly gentleman who took out two small bottles from his bag and offered one to us. We graciously accepted it not knowing what it was but thought it would be rude to refuse.It turned out to be a small bottle of saki which we obviously downed so as not to be rude! We did our bowing and thank yous as we left him to go to Osaka Castle which has a very impressive wall. The cherry blossom was still there although just about to go over. Yes we recalled we had been here before! We climbed all the steps to the 8th floor looking vaguely at the exhibits on each floor and finally the view from the top. The weather was great so we sat and had a beer outside until it was time to go home. In the evening we were treated to a show of Japanese Music- lots of drums, flutes and stringed instrument - not really our thing but nice to see a bit of other culture.

---