Osaka Castle towers above visitors in downtown Osaka, Japan.

We wanted to visit Osaka Castle in early 2023, when we visited Japan for the first time, but unfortunately our plans didn't work out at that time. So, when we were traveling through Osaka again, we decided to make another attempt at visiting this historical landmark, and the weather did not disappoint!

Osaka Castle was built in the late 1500s by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The castle and the surrounding areas were hotly contested between the family of Hideyoshi and the Tokugawa shogunate in the beginning of the Edo period of Japan, which lasted from 1603 to 1868 or so.

Inside the castle is a museum that takes a couple hours to go through and covers the history of the castle. We were also able to get some great pictures from the top of the castle overlooking the city.

#osaka #osakacastle #japan #castlesofjapan

Kinkakuji on a rainy, fall day in Kyoto, Japan.

Kinkakuji (金閣寺) was originally built in 1397, although it has been rebuilt several times over the years. Located in Northwestern Kyoto, it is partially covered with gold leaf, hence the color. We visited here during our move out west after sharing a great meal with a wonderful friend of ours who lives in Kyoto. Although it was raining, we enjoyed seeing the surrounding nature and viewing another one of Japan's cultural landmarks.

#japan #kinkakuji #fallcolors

Sumiyoshi Taisha

A bridge at Sumiyoshi Taisha Shrine in Osaka, Japan.

The bridge in the picture is part of Sumiyoshi Taisha Shrine, a Shinto shrine in southern Osaka that was founded in the third century, before the introduction of Buddhism to Japan. Because it is so old, and because it was around before Buddhism, it had some differences from the other, more modern shrines that are spread throughout Japan.

We wanted to visit this shrine during our two-week trip to Japan in February 2023, but unforeseen circumstances kept us from seeing it and a few other places. So, during our move out west, we spent a few days in Osaka near Shin-Osaka station and got to see a few more things in both Osaka and Kyoto that we had wanted to see before. It was good to take a break after a busy year of language school, packing, and other things to go and see some cultural sites in this area of Japan.

#japan #sumiyoshitaisha #shintoshrines #bridgesofjapan

Making music together with new friends after church.

Last weekend, we were in the midst of our move out west. We took about a week to move out west so we could visit friends and spend time with people on our way. Our first stop was the city of Shizuoka, which is south of Mt. Fuji. Michael preached there, and after church we had the opportunity to go and make some music with some of the people we had just met. They had a member of their group who was absent, so they needed someone to fill in — and we were only too happy to oblige!

#makingmusic #newfriends #sabbathrest

We got to join some friends and make okonomiyaki at their home last week!

Okonomiyaki is sometimes called a Japanese pancake, and it comes in several different styles in different parts of Japan. But, the way we built these, it was sort of like a haystack on the grill! Last week, we were invited over to a friend's home to make this savory treat in the style of the okonomiyaki from Hiroshima. They were made fully vegetarian for us, and it was absolutely scrumptious.

Inside our okonomiyaki were: veggie links, cabbage, bean sprouts, green onions, a little cheese, noodles, veggie tuna, and konjac (a root vegetable). You top them with a sauce, mayo, and ginger. It was quite tasty.

The delicious meal included and was followed by hours of good fellowship and conversation.

#japan #okonomiyaki #foodandfellowship

A train in the Hara Model Railway Museum.

The Hara Model Railway Museum is located in Yokohama, just a short walk away from Yokohama Station. It has a huge number of model trains made by Nobutaro Hara. Some are behind glass for observing, and others are running on one of the largest model train set rooms we’ve ever seen. The room is huge and has not just model trains, but buildings, tiny people, daytime/nighttime effects (including lights on trains and buildings), and remote-control trains that you can drive around.

A little bit into our time at the museum, a lady walked up to Michael and said that someone had canceled. Michael didn’t really understand what was canceled, but when she explained that he could drive a train around the track if he wanted, he grabbed the opportunity! Both Michael and Caitlyn got to drive a train around the tracks once. It was fun!

#japan #modeltrain #trainmuseum

A moment to sit in the Floating Flower Room of teamLab Planets.

A worker from Cambodia, where Michael worked from 2018-2019, came to visit us in Japan a while back. One of the places we went with her was teamLab Planets, an immersive art facility/museum in Tokyo. The entire museum is experienced barefoot. Some rooms are also literally immersive — one of them has you wading up to your calves in water!

It’s hard to describe the rooms without being there yourself. The room you see in this picture has many different types of flowers hanging from above you, and you sit below the flowers while they move around. The floor and walls are covered with mirrors, which adds to the effect of being surrounded in a proverbial flower forest.

#japan #teamlabplanets #floatingflowerroom

The 44 foot, 121 ton giant Buddha Statue in Kamakura, Japan.

We recently took a trip to Kamakura, Japan, which was the old capital of Japan many centuries ago. The small city is located near the beach and is quite a beautiful town. It also features many religious locations, such as the giant Buddha Statue and Tsurugaoka Hachimangu, a Shinto shrine.

Fun fact: You can actually walk inside this Buddha statue for a small fee.

#japan #kamakura #giantbuddhastatue

A manhole cover near Lake Kawaguchiko near Mt. Fuji.

One of the neat, artistic things you’ll find all over Japan are the manhole covers. Something that is most often plain and boring in the USA are often bright, cheery, and creative in Japan. They will feature different designs in different cities, and sometimes even ones in the same town will be different. This one features Mt. Fuji, Lake Kawaguchiko, and some flowers.

#japan #artofjapan

Two multi-layered bento boxes with a bowl of Miso soup.

Caitlyn and I recently took a long-awaited weekend vacation to a lake just north of Mt. Fuji. On our way to our lodging, we stopped at a small town restaurant and café that sells vegan bento lunches along with miso soup. A bento is basically a boxed lunch, usually with a variety of different foods inside.

The vegan meal was absolutely delicious. We savored and enjoyed every bite, and the variety of tastes was wonderful. Some of the foods included: flavored rice, vegan tempura, tofu, vegetables, spaghetti, edamame, an orange slice, and more.

We also saw this cute little pig sculpture thing. Not sure what it was for, but it deserved a picture.

#japan #bento #vegan #japanvegan