Holiday in Japan (11): Arashiyama & Osaka
It was the last day of the official part of our tour (Wednesday).
Leaving Kyoto after three nights, we first journeyed to the nearby town of Arashiyama. We were there to see a bamboo forest.
The company’s description of the location suggested: “Listen out for the soothing sounds of trunks creaking and knocking together and leaves rustling in the captivating canopy above.” We couldn’t hear a thing above the noise of a throng of tourists.
It was another hour or so before we reached Osaka so our local guide Kazoo took the opportunity to explain the education system, the health system and the tax system in Japan. I’ll spare you the details.
Osaka has a population of 2.7 million, making it the third most populace city in Japan (after Tokyo and Yokohama). It has a raw, gritty feel quite unlike the rest of the country.
As soon as we reached the city, we went to the Umeda Sky Building which consists of two 40-storey towers linked by a Floating Garden Observatory almost 570 feet (174 metres) high. Actually the observation deck does not have a garden and could hardly be said to be floating, but there are grand views of the metropolis.
It was lunchtime and we were dropped at a district called Dotonbori which is the entertainment section of the city with a multitude of eating establishments. All the advertisements and crowds were more reminiscent of Hong Kong than other parts of Japan.
One of the features of this trip has been the strict timekeeping of the itinerary. Dontonbori was yet another example of us having a set time to be back on the coach with the threat that, if one missed that time, the bus would have gone because there are so many tourist coaches that officials rigidly enforce tight restrictions on drop off and pick up times.
In the evening, the group had a farewell dinner at our hotel, the Sheraton Miyako. We were served a set menu of four courses, each small but exquisitely presented. Our Tour Manager Bill and local guide Kazoo each made short speeches and I responded on behalf of the group.