It's 2023 and after our Egypt/Jordan trip we were pining to cross off some more UNESCO heritage listed places off our bucket list, so naturally with no less than 25 world heritage sites, Japan was the next.
Many months of planning, that is a few meetings, spread over a few months, John and I had an actual Japan Trip plan with a rough itinerary. We met up at Narita Airport just east of Tokyo, grabbed our JR Rail Pass, and travelled all the way to Osaka.
What's the JR Rail Pass?
Japan is supported by a few transport companies, but the biggest one is JR (Japan Rail). They run a lot of the city trains, some buses and most importantly the Shinkansen (Bullet Train). One of the privileges of being a tourist to Japan is being able to buy the JR Rail Pass.
Depending on if you buy the 7, 14 or 21 day pass it basically provides you with unlimited travel on all JR Rail Services, and even though some of the city services can be mixed, we did find ourselves taking certain indirect routes just so we could use the rail pass.
For the trips on the other services we bought an IC Card, like a charge card with a top up balance (like Londons Oyster or Perth's Transperth Card), just in case.
Most importantly with the JR Rail Pass is that you have to order it prior to travelling to Japan because it can only be delivered to an overseas address. They send you a voucher which you then collect and activate when you arrive at the airport. We waited in the queue for about 2hrs so well worth planning for that.
The JR Rail counter - the front of the queue
We arrived in Osaka late in the evening after enjoying our first ever trip on the Shinkansen between Tokyo and Osaka. Our prior planning selves had arranged our first activity on our first day to be a 6 hour cycling tour through Osaka.
Luckily the cycling place was a walkable distance from our hotel, but it did start at about 10am, which was tough on John who was coping with an 8 hour time difference. We set off on our hire bicycles, mine was clearly too small for me, along the river in Kemasakuranomiya Park.
Our first spot was at The Old Mint, just down the cycle path from the Mint Museum. We stopped for a few minutes for a short explanation and water break before we continued South towards Osaka Castle.
Osaka Castle is a great looking castle. Japan is full of the them, but only some of them are UNESCO Heritage protected. Osaka Castle had to be completely restored in 1997, resulting in a complete concrete reproduction of the original, with the interior functioning as a museum with working elevators - so it doesn't make the list.
Part of the cycling tour we were given 15mins to walk around the castle ground. Luckily we spent another day for a revisit and actually climbed up to the top to enjoy the city views.
Next stop was in Shitennoji, home to Japan's oldest Buddhist temple (first built in 593) with a 5-story pagoda and a pond with a bunch of turtles. John went back to the bikes to get his phone, got lost and I missed all the talk relating to this place looking for him, so here are some photos.
We flew past Shinsekai, home of the Tsutenkaku tower, with our stomachs rumbling for lunch. Mildly hangry we continued cycling and stopped into Namba Yasaka Jinja. This one was a small shrine, beyond another Shinto Tree Gate, with a gigantic evil eyed lions head. It was a small neighbourhood complex with the shrine, gate, ema and some obelisks.
Ema (Shinto)
Ema's are at every temple I've been to in Japan. It's essentially a collection of wooden plaques with written wishes and prayers. Some of the plates have images of animals or zodiac signs. Mostly are wishes of good health and world peace. Some are incredibly depressing.
Omikuji
These are 'random' fortunes written at Shinto shrines. They are received by making small offerings or paying money into the machines that will get a small mechanical lions paw to dish out . The idea is that if the fortune is bad, you tie the piece of paper to a wire setup, if the fortune is good then you can keep it for good luck or tie it to the wires for more luck.
I'm a little suspicious of the wording they use, but check out my 'good' fortune, which I got hold of in Kyoto some days later.
Apparently this fortune is 'quite good'. So, I'm keeping it for good luck....I think.
Utsubo Park
Second last stop was Utsubo Park, significant because of its manicured rose gardens and recreational sports areas. It was mainly a stop to go over some Japanese history and their sewage systems!
Nakanoshima
Final stop on our supposed 6 hour cycling tour was Nakanoshima. It's one of those artificial islands that exist to provide support for many road bridges across the Tosahori River, including more rose gardens, riverside bar, popular wedding venue as well as city hall. In fact, we returned the bicycles back to the shop and immediately walked back to this park area for some refreshments and photos before walking back to our hotel.
