Thursday, January 16th - Osaka, Japan (Day 2):

Today Bob and I took a tour which included visits to a prominent Buddhist temple and the Umeda Sky Building.  Our first stop was to tour the Shitenno-ji Temple which was built in the late 6th century by a son of Emperor Yomei.  It is one of Japan's oldest temples and was the first to be built by the state.  It was founded in 593 by Prince Shotoku, who supported the introduction of Buddhism into Japan.  Although several of the temple's buildings have burned down several times throughout the centuries, they have always been carefully reconstructed to reflect the original, 6th-century design. 

On our arrival we took a guided tour of the outer temple grounds.  Afterwards, we went inside the temple and viewed the garden, a pebble-covered courtyard with a five-story pagoda.  We had the opportunity to climb the 5-stories to get a lovely view of the city but most of us declined the opportunity and took photos of the outside of the pagoda!!! We also had a tour of the Main Hall where Prince Shotoku is enshrined as a statue of Kannon (one of six Buddhist manifestations). 

Once our tour of the temple was finished we reboarded our bus and drove to the Umeda Sky Building. This building is among the tallest buildings in Osaka and one of its most recognizable landmarks.  At a height of 567 feet, the building consists of two, 40-story towers that connect at their two uppermost stories, with bridges and an escalator for crossing the side, atrium-like space in the center.  Finally, the highlight of our tour was a visit to the Sky Walk, where we enjoyed the spectacular, 360-degree panoramic views overlooking Osaka.  Osaka is a large, modern town while maintaining the charm of its many neighborhoods.  It is definitely one of my favorite cities in the world.  



 

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