Part 1 here
Day 3: Sanjusangen-do, Fushimi Inari, Sou Sou and Osaka Aquarium
After checking out of the hostel and putting our bags in the luggage room, we made our second attempt on Sanjusangen-do, the home of the 1001 gilded wooden statues of Kannon. It's said that if you look at each of the 1001 statues, you'll find one with the face of a loved one. Each statue has 21 pairs of arms, with each hand holding a different implement representing the buddhist tools of salvation.
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| Sanjusangen-do, also called Rengeo-in, built in 1164 and rebuilt 100 years later. No pictures allowed inside. |
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| As an architect, really happy to see a path for wheelchairs around the site. |
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| The orange covered walkway was built at a later time |
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| Japanese garden (looks like a Chinese garden) |
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| The far end of Sanjusangendo |
At the entrance we had to put our shoes in cubbies as directed by the docents before walking the length of the 400-foot-long building in our socks. Visitors walk along a wide corridor and observe the 1000 slightly smaller than life size statues arranged on a stepped incline kind of like bleachers, with one giant statue in the middle. Behind the statue room was a 400-foot-long corridor with various exhibits about the construction and history of the building and the statues and a couple large kaleidoscopes, and finally a small gift shop. By time I reached the gift shop, my feet were two little blocks of ice. We put our shoes back on and headed to Fushimi Inari.
But first we took an hour's detour by accidentally getting on an express train heading to Osaka. Thankfully it stopped about a third of the way there and we got turned back around.
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| Illustrated map of Fushimi Inari Taisha - not to scale and not too terribly accurate |
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| Getting started with a big torii |
I visited Fushimi Inari on my trip three years ago, wandering in the side entrance (as it turned out) around Golden Hour, climbed up to the halfway point by sunset, and then came back down in the eerie darkness. It's an experience I recommend, but I also wanted to see it during the day.
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| The first torii is also the last torii |
After spending a little time in the shopping street leading to the shrine, looking for a fox mask for under 2000 yen and eating custard-filled taiyaki from a cranky curbside vendor, we headed for the flagship location of my favorite Japanese clothing and textile designer, SOU SOU.
To my amazement, it wasn't a single store, but more like a constellation of storefronts. SOU SOU village. One storefront had purses, bags, furoshiki and other accessories; another had women's clothes; one for men, one for uncut textiles, and the best for last, tabi shoes and socks.
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| Each department is in a different storefront |
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| SOU SOU Universe |
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| Candy-colored tabi socks |
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| Funky tabi shoes. Drool. |
Time was running short and we had one last agenda item for the day, so we picked up our bags from the hostel and asked the desk staff to call us a taxi (luxury!) to take us to the station, where we took a train to Osaka.
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| Osaka Aquarium KAIYUKAN in the rain |
We took the train all the way to Osakako Station, and set off on foot in the rain for Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, one of the largest aquariums in the world, on the waterfront just across the river from USJ. Although we got there about an hour and a half before closing, after we bought our admission tickets the staff handed us a paper in English that stated that it was impossible to see all the exhibits in less than two hours and we should take care to exit by closing time.
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| Entry to the Kaiyuukan |
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| Sharks swimming overhead in a tunnel aquarium tank |
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| Sea otters in a rare still moment |
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| Whale shark and its reflection |
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| The big "Pacific Ocean" tank in the middle of the building |
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| A sample of the 30cm thick acrylic used for the giant tanks |
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| Jellyfishes |
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| Jellies in the jellyfish exhibit |
We perused souvenirs in the gift shop (ok, I perused, Roxy waited for me) until closing time, then we retrieved our bags from the lockers. At this point the aquarium staff practically pushed us into the elevators to be rid of us. I've been in Japan long enough that I was surprised at how abrupt and forward they were in their effort to close as quickly as possible, but I guess that's Osaka hospitality. On our way out we did manage to stop to ask about where we might find food at 8pm, and got pointed in the direction of the mall next door for okonomiyaki.
We took the train back to Nippombashi station, where Roxy headed south to her hostel and I headed north to my business hotel, walking through the edge of Shinsaibashi in the pouring rain. When I crossed the Dotonbori canal, I could see all the brightly lit activity a few minutes' walk away, but alas, I was just too tired and wet to walk over and check it out.
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| Looking down Dotonbori canal toward the interesting part of town |
Day 4: USJ and a luxury sleep
I'm not typically an amusement park person, but Universal Studios Japan, or USJ, has an attraction that I found irresistible: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (tm). Ever since the first one opened in Orlando, it's been on my mind. I figured it would probably be fun to ride the rides in the rest of the park, and eat some stuff, and whatnot, but I just wanted to go to Potterland.
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| Chapel Christmas Love Hotel looking pretty bizarre in the light of day, on my walk to meet Roxy at Nippombashi Station |
We met up early at Nippombashi station and took the train out to Universal City, a shopping and entertainment center around the gates of USJ and a tiny slice of the American experience. We got coffee at Starbucks while we waited for Alize, who Roxy had hosted as a couchsurfer in Hirosaki earlier in the fall and who happened to be in Osaka.
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| Hogwarts Castle and the Black Lake |
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| Butterbeer in Hogsmeade Alley (fake snow on the roofs) |
Once the gates opened we rushed along with the excited crowd straight into Harry Potter World, right into the line for the super-popular Harry Potter ride inside the scale reproduction of Hogwarts Castle. I was full of excitement and anticipation and the scenery was amazing and it was all so magical and that was all over as soon the shoulder restraint came down in the little box-like ride contraption and the attendant stuck a pair of 3d glasses on my face. I felt trapped and I wanted off right then and it was too late.
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| The line for the Harry Potter ride at USJ |
I won't go into detail, I'll just say, if you're over 25 or so you should probably think real hard before riding a "4D" or "multi-dimensional" ride, and if you're claustrophobic at all you should just forget about it. Large portions of the "ride" are actually in front of a huge 3D video screen while the little carriage kind of rocks and twists. My brain knew it wasn't real but my stomach and inner ear were totally convinced in the worst way. It took about a half hour of sitting and then wandering slowly through Hogsmeade before I was sure I wasn't going to lose my breakfast or fall over. Rides were not going to be a thing for me to do at USJ.
If you take the rides out of the equation, pretty much the only other things to do at USJ are shop, and eat. I was traveling light, so that left eating... While Roxy and Alize rode the rides, I must have eaten a month's worth of sugar in the form of churros, caramel corn, cakes and sugary beverages.
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| "Fisherman's Wharf" in the San Francisco uh... attraction? I guess. |
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| While you're eating caramel corn you can also watch an hourly Christmas parade |
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| The whole park was Christmas themed with nonstop Christmas music blaring and a giant Christmas Tree. |
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| Sunset over USJ |
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| After dark the giant tree lit up in a constantly changing pattern of LEDs |
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| Universal movie logo monument |
We stayed around to watch the evening Christmas lights show and parade, and then headed back to Shinsaibashi for a half-hearted dinner (who can eat after all that sugar). I had splurged on a room at the Sheraton Miyako hotel, mostly because I waited until too late to book my lodgings for the second night and I didn't want to stay in a sketchy hostel (non-sketchy hostels were all booked up). Up on the 17th floor I had the most comfortable bed in all of Japan, and a great view too.
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| The view from my fabulous hotel room |
Informational Links:
Sanjusangendo
More about Senju Kannon
What is Senju Kannon holding in each hand?
Fushimi Inari Taisha
SOU SOU Kyoto - US page (Japanese page is in, well, Japanese)
Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan
USJ
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