Osaka, Japan Photo Gallery
The characters that greeted us in Osaka.
These are the Ginkgo trees lining the street. I saw these in almost every town in Japan that I visited.
Leaves of a ginkgo tree, which were just coming out with the beginning of spring.
Poppy Anemone.
We could not believe the line to shop in the Louis Vuitton store. I wonder what kind of special they had going on that day to wait in a line that long.
We had to have Kobe beef one more time before leaving Japan.
Doug, Margaret, Gwen and Brian with our steaks at Kobe Beef Wanomiya.
We had a lunch which included the packet of vegetables, which warmed on the grill while our chef grilled our steaks.
Our chef cooking the garlic rice.
When we came out Spider Man was waiting for us.
We tried the Morinaga Choco Monaka Ice Cream Bar, Japan's top-selling ice cream. It was filled with vanilla ice cream with some chocolate down the center and I thought it was good.
Dotonbori (Doton Canal), Osaka's most popular tourist destination.
Dotonbori is know for it's extravagant signage and neon lights. We saw the big signs, but were not there at dark to see the neon lights.
Gwen with the famous billboard pose of the world famous “Glico Man“. The Glico neon sign, which shows a running man crossing the finish line, has been heavily used for travel guide covers, tv stock footage and travel magazines over the years – so much, that it has become the symbol of Osaka
Dotonbori Street that runs parallel to the canal.
On Dotonbori Street.
I think the restaurants were competing to see who could have the most spectacular decorations to attract you to their place.
This crab moves its legs and was one of the first of the spectacular decorations in this area. This restaurant sometimes has a waiting time of 3 hours.
Another crazy sign. This is an area you can try pufferfish, which can kill you if not prepared properly. Chefs have to be certified to be able to cook it.
Two more crazy restaurant signs.
Some good looking donuts!
Double-stuffed macaroons look very yummy!
Namba HIPS is a 12-floor, 10-story tall landmark leisure complex situated in the heart of Osaka’s Namba. We didn't go in, but it was an interesting building to look at.
Normal behavior on the subway/train.
There was a Legoland in the port area, so of course, a giraffe made out of Legos.
A Lego penguin, also.
Kaiyukan is an aquarium near the port that claims to be the largest aquarium in the world. I love aquariums and had extra time, so went inside.
This fish was from the Ecuador Rainforest.
King penguins-The fuzzy one is a juvenile.
The Pacific Ocean, the largest part of the aquarium.
Japanese Giant Spider Crabs from Japan Deeps.
Crested Penguins.
The port of Osaka as we left.