1 January 2016
Following two nights on Mount Koya, we arrived in Osaka on 30 December.
(Views from the train leaving Mount Koya)
(Journey to Osaka)
(One way to pass the train journey)
Maybe it was that we had arrived in the city during one of Japan's biggest national holiday periods, or maybe we had just been fortunate with our experience in other Japanese cities to date, but we found the city centre of Osaka to be grimy and, at nightfall, pretty seedy. It wasn't what we expected of the country's second largest city but perhaps it was just bad timing on our part.
On the positive side, we arrived to good weather and made our way that afternoon to the northern end of the city where a large park surrounds the old castle - Asia's largest. It was closed for the new year period but could be seen from many parts of the city and looked pretty imposing. We joined the thousands of people strolling, walking and running around the park before taking a river boat ride to see the city from a different angle.
(Sunshine calls for ice-cream)
We took NYE's day as an opportunity to relax and wander the quieter streets before heading out for a nice dinner. With an early start the following day, we brought in the new year on Australian time, watching the fireworks over Sydney Harbour online. 2015 was a very special year for us and we look forward to what lies ahead in 2016.
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