Osaka - Day 11

In one word: Wooooooooooooooooooooow. Just 20 minutes from Kyoto, and suddenly we are in a completely different world. In a world where the buildings soar again into the sky, and the people geometrically multiply per square meter. I had read that Osaka is the second-largest city in Japan and differs from Tokyo due to a greater relaxed atmosphere. Like Tokyo, it is a port city and incredibly expansive. Endless long streets. This is followed by more and more smaller alleys that come together to form a dense labyrinth.

We started with the castle. Osaka has a castle surrounded by a mighty fortification. We walked through everything, but these historical monuments somehow seem smaller in the light of the neon lights and the giant towers. For lunch, we had Okonomiyaki – a Japanese pancake traditionally made from eggs and vegetables, served on a hot iron plate that stands right in the middle of the table, allowing the pancake to keep cooking. Everyone got a small spatula and cut themselves a piece, which they then ate with chopsticks.

Our next steps took us to the Abeno Harukas observation deck. We took the elevator to the 60th floor at a height of 300 meters. The entire platform is glass-enclosed and provides a 360-degree view in all directions. It was breathtaking! While we were there, the weather probably changed a thousand times – from sunny to suddenly thick fog, and then to the sunset over the sea as the approaching night illuminated the lights all over Osaka! We strolled on the platform (which was about 100 m long), which was heated and insulated, so it was pleasantly warm. We kept walking back and forth and couldn’t get enough of the view.

Then we made our way into the night city. We walked with the crowd towards the main street and the square. Always looking up in awe. Boats are driving on the canals, music is playing, food is being sold on the street... Here, life pulsates!