Mount Fuji and Osaka Castle

Above, Mount Fuji from the shinkansen. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

We left Atami and headed down to Osaka via shinkansen (bullet train).

The room we had at the ryokan was so nice, we were a little reluctant to leave it. But, there are things to see and do down in Osaka and Kyoto.

Above, Osaka Castle. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

On the way, we were treated to a view of Mount Fuji. I have seen Fuji from the air, at night and been on its slopes, but hadn't seen it from a bullet train's window due to cloud cover.

Above, a little fun before touring the castle (in the background). 

Once we got to Osaka, we found that the check-in time for our hotel room was at 4:00 PM. So we killed time by going to Osaka Castle.

I had been to Osaka Castle during G-TOUR 2004, but have a limited number of photographs as I was using a film camera (Olympus OM-1) at the time. These shots are from my new Canon Rebel digital camera.

Above, fans of Godzilla vs. Biollante will find these buildings familiar. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It seems that the exhibits inside Osaka Castle had been changed since 2004. Some were unfamiliar and a few were familiar, but presented differently. Godzilla fans are familiar with Osaka Castle as it was the site of the final battle between Godzilla and Anguirus in Godzilla Raids Again.

After touring Osaka Castle, we headed back to the hotel and checked in. The plan for tonight is to go to Dotonbori, the foodie area of Osaka.