Day Two – Osaka Castle
We woke to clear skies and sunshine—a welcome change from yesterday’s rain. With Osaka Castle opening at 10 am, we had time for a leisurely breakfast before walking to Namba station and taking two trains to the castle. We arrived just after opening, ahead of the crowds. The castle was impressive, with well-kept grounds and plenty of photo opportunities. Although the building itself was relatively recent, the exhibits offered a fascinating look at the castle, the city and the sometimes gruesome history of its occupants. We took the lift to the fifth floor, then climbed the stairs another two levels. Afterwards, we strolled through the gardens and enjoyed the sunshine, stopping for candied fruit and crab sticks before leaving around 1 pm.
A single train took us from the castle to the shopping complex for an afternoon of fabric hunting. We planned to work our way from Building 8 down to Building 3. Jin wasn’t impressed at first, but that changed in the basement of Building 6, where we found a shop packed with Liberty fabrics, including William Morris prints. She bought plenty, then found reasonably priced kimonos further along. By Building 4, my hands were already full when another bargain kimono shop tempted her into buying two more large bags. She was delighted; I was starting to wonder how we’d fit everything into our luggage and whether we’d need to post some home.
