Osaka Castle

Osaka Castle outer moat

For day two we selected Osaka Castle, a couple of short train rides away from our hotel.  The weather was very hot and mostly dry again.  Osaka Castle has huge grounds, including two moats one inside the other, bordered by great stone walls, and the castle rises high above the trees.  Apparently a besieging army once filled in the outer moat, which was later then dug out again.  The white building in this photo is one of the lookout towers dotted around the walls.

James and castle

Like many historic buildings we visited, the castle has been destroyed and rebuilt a number of times, due to wars.  This one looks like the original, but inside is a relatively modern building housing a museum.  It still sits on the original stone footings built from huge blocks.

In the moats we saw more little turtles, and outside the castle a man out for a walk with his two budgies sitting on his hat.

Click on the photos for a larger view!

Osaka Castle