Osaka Castle & sashimi, Japan.

Day 2 of 9-day trip to Japan

Our second day in Osaka would take us to Osaka Castle then a long stroll to find some sashimi. The perils of trying to find Google or TripAdvisor places is that when you get there, they could be closed, full, or not that good! As we discovered, go with your gut and you probably won’t be disappointed.

Once we got to the general vicinity of the castle, it was time for an early lunch, followed by my daily convenience store creme caramel pudding!

The grounds of the castle were massive and the leaves were orange, red and yellow. The weather was damp but not rainy, so wandering around the moat with the autumnal trees was extremely pleasant. In one spot on the way to the castle, someone had arranged fallen leaves into ‘Happy Christmas’, and in another place, a devil smiley face.

The castle itself is very well maintained and I was so happy to realise we could go inside. Unlike another Japanese castle I went to years ago in Kyoto, the inside of this one had been made into an extensive museum with displays depicting the history of the castle, its inhabitants and battles. We went up floor bu floor, each floor dedicated to a particular aspect of the castle. It was about eight or nine floors until the top where you can go out onto the balcony. It was quite crowded and there was a one-way walking system in place which was a bit annoying, but the views from the top, plus just being inside such an old structure more than made up for it in my opinion.

After looking at the castle, we went for a snack and coffee in the grounds and by the time we’d finished, it was dark. The castle was now lit up with flood-lights.

Our thoughts turned to dinner and we wanted sashimi and had found a few recommendations on Google and TripAdvisor. Unfortunately they were quite far so we set off for a long walk through the less glamorous streets of Osaka; the offices, shops and residential areas. The highly recommended place that I’d found online was just not letting people in, so we wandered around some ore, getting a bit tired now. We walked through a covered arcade shopping area and found a lively looking izakaya typ place that definitely had raw fish, were sat deep in the bar but then noticed the smokers. Japan is a lot more free when it comes to smoking, like Korea in the old days; I guess if I was still a smoker, it’d be fantastic. These days, not so much! Anyway, we asked to sit at the counter which was close to the open door, so no smoky smells! This was your standard Japanese izakaya I believe filled with couples and business men. The sashimi we ordered though was as good as the best I’ve had in Seoul (I don’t claim to be an expert). We also had some sake, served in a glass in a square wooden box, like a tray; the idea here is the cup is filled to overflowing (it goes into the box/tray) as a sign of hospitality (you’re getting ‘extra’). A neat idea. There’s a name for it which I don’t recall right now.