Osaka, Osaka, Japan
Jackson and Abigail's Ten Fun Facts about Osaka.
81. It only takes 13 minutes on the Shinkansen between Kyoto and Osaka.
82. Third largest city in Japan with a population of 2.5 million in the greater metro area.
83. Osaka is known as a food lover's paradise. Okonomiyaki is its most famous dish.
84. Osaka means "large hill or slope". It is surrounded by mountains on three sides.
85. Almost all of its buildings were destroyed during WW II bombing attacks and thus the city has been rebuilt.
86. It is a port city and referred to as the "Manchester of Japan"
87. There are undergeound shopping malls galore in Osaka.
88. Osaka Kaiyukan Aquarium is one of the largest public aquariums in the world.
89. Osaka Castle is a reconstruction. The original was destroyed in 1615.
90. Osaka people are said to be friendlier than those from Tokyo.
We debated whether we needed to visit another aquarium just two days after our fabulous time at the Kyoto Aquarium, and we voted yes. We are glad we did, as whilst there are similarities, they both offer completely different experiences that are not to be missed if you love learning and observing all life under the sea.
To the UNSW Dive Club Alumni, we might just have to laze by the pool/beach in Palau as we have no need to dive/snorkel anymore since we have seen spectacular sea life up close here in Japan!! Just kidding!!
At the Kaiyukan, there are 30,000 marine creatures representing 620 species in 15 tanks. The Aquarium is known for its innovative display, focusing on the aquatic animals who live in the Pacific Rim. There are over 15 tanks, each recreating a specific region of the Pacific. The aquarium is designed so you walk down a spiral ramp from the 8th to the 4th floor, observing the main tanks, and the sealife from different perspectives/depths. The largest tank is nine metres deep and contains two whale sharks and a multitude of rays and fish. The acrylic glass used for this tank is 30cm thick!
Mum and Dad have told us about how they swam with whale sharks on their honeymoon in Mozambique, and Mum also has swum with them in Baja, Mexico and Exmouth, Western Australia. We were thus especially curious to see these magnificent creatures up close.
Less than ten aquariums in the world have whale sharks due to the massive tank required to safely house them. All bar one of these aquariums is in Asia, with the sole non-Asian one being the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, USA, where you can pay to swim in the tanks with the whale sharks. We will wait until we are big enough to meet them in the ocean.
The Osaka Kaiyukan Aquarium has planned its exhibits around the Gaia hypothesis. This hypothesis proposed by Dr James Lovelock suggests that the Earth, with its many active volcanoes, interacts closely with all of its living creatures. This is supported by the rich biodiversity in this region. The Pacific Ring volcanic belt, where earthquakes and volcanoes frequently occur is known as the 'The Ring of Fire" as it surrounds the Pacific Ocean. The "Ring of Life" overlaps the "Ring of Fire" and contains areas of both high and low density of life forms. While there were many people here, we still had ample room to view all the exhibits and all of the information was in English too.
There was no interaction between the aquarium staff and the public, but we were able to view feeding sessions, and each tank/exhibit had plenty of information about where in the Pacific the aquatic animals lived and referenced the "Ring of Fire" and "Ring of Life". It was fascinating and again, we all enjoyed the experience.
One of the most famous department stores outside of Tokyo is Hankyu Umeda. It opened in 1929 and was the first railway department store. It gained a reputation for being a fashion leader with both Japanese and international brands. Today, it covers 15 levels and 80,000 square metres of floor space. It was a beautiful department store, although Mum is not sure she could pull off some of the fashion statements in downtown Echuca! The Hokkaido food market had migrated from Tokyo to Osaka and we were again able to sample some of the fine foods from this region.
A couple of other famous sights in Osaka include the neon lights and billboards in Dotombori and the 600 metre long undercover shopping arcade at Shinsaibashi filled with everything you could want or need! We really needed the chocolate covered potato chips!!
We couldn't leave Osaka without eating its most famous dish: okonomiyaki
It was an hour long wait to get a table or 45 minutes to get take-out at the okonomiyaki restaurant we chose. It was worth the wait!!
As to whether people who live in Osaka are friendlier than those who live in Tokyo, we weren't here long enough to notice any difference!
2025-05-22