Kyoto to Osaka

Kyoto to Osaka is like driving from Penrith to Sydney  so not the stuff of a full day event. There was tourism on the way. Unfortunately we had done some of it yesterday - my bad. When thinking about what to see with Noriko I looked at what we’d already seen but neglected to anticipate what we were yet to see. A rookie error which actually worked out really well because we knew where the shops were & we spent the time there very happily, with the added bonus of not holding everyone in the tour group up when getting stuck in a vendor queue (this happens a lot).

So our first non-shopping stop was Nara Park, in Nara. Established in 1880, one of the oldest public parks in Japan and it is huge. Populated by wildlife such as boar, giant flying squirrel, raccoon dog it is the silks deer for which the area is famous.

With over 1,000 of these cute fellas in residence it’s clear who owns the park. You can buy feed for them, we didn’t, and pet them. 

I felt a bit restrained here, with just 30 mins to view Tōdai-ji temple, when there is so much to see in this massive park. Even if we could have used the 30 mins we spent waiting at the meeting point it would have been better. 

The impressively huge temple, dating from 738 CE houses this spectacular bronze statue - the largest in the world. Sadly it was back to the bus after this and the quick trip to Osaka. 

We were on our own for dinner, which is how we like it, and we headed to a tourist hotspot, Dotonbori. 

I felt a bit like Wendy from the country, here admit the bustling nightlife. There is a vibrant, energetic vibe here that made us all feel our advancing years. There were plenty of dining options though so good on us.

One place for dinner

One place for dessert

One place for dessert

Then back to our beds