The Floating Garden Observatory is situated in Osaka and offers a full 360 view of the city. Because the subway was just minutes away from my hotel, I decided to make this my first stop of the morning. At Osaka’s main terminal (which is in conjunction with the JR line) I loaded up a locker with all my luggage and took only what was essential for my quick trip.

The futuristic observatory located 557ft above Osaka floated seamlessly between two towers of the Umeda Sky Building. A super fast glass elevator separated you and the outside by a thin layer of glass and transported any individual from the 3rd floor to the 32nd within seconds. You then take a enclosed escalator which bridges the two buildings before reaching a restaurant look-out and then finally the extravagant 360 open view of Osaka. The city was covered by a dense layer of cloud, making any landscape photos boring and washed out. I think it was my timing, but just as I was taking photos I got a lucky moment where the sun made it’s way from behind the cloud and showered the city with some colour and contrast. This gave my shooting subject some more colour and light to play with. From the picture below you can see how the patches of light affected the overall image.

For more about the Observatory I leave you with this link: http://www.skybldg.co.jp/garden/index.html

As I looked down at my watch, it was time to make my way back to the station. I had to make it to Himeji Castle by 4pm as the front gates close by that time during the winter season. At a couple points in my trip, I felt like throwing away the whole concept of time but with the nature of my trip that simply wasn’t an option. I read that Osaka had it’s own castle, but it’s better to go see Himeji because of its incredible history and immense structure. Once you’ve seen one, you won’t need to see the other. This was also my first time on Japan’s transportation phenomenon; Shinkansen (The Bullet Train). These trains reach speeds of 300km/h with top at 450km/h depending on the model. The 92km journey from Shin Osaka to Himeji City only took only 30 minutes with 3 stops. That’s fast! If your in a hurry, a ticket like that costs you 3440Yen, where as an hour and 20 minute ride is less then half that. If you’ve purchased your JR pass before coming to Japan price shouldn’t be a concern, but for a local it would set them back $180CND/$150USD for a one way ticket. I was only a couple sentences into the blog before arriving at Himeji, hardly enough time to really concentrate. This wasn’t my utmost concern at arrival, rather it was the fact that Himeji was closing in 5 minutes and I was 2km’s away! I pressed the laptop bag against my side, grabbed the camera sling bag from behind for extra support and started sprinting! Arriving at the last stretch I thought I wasn’t going to make it, but fortunately an attendant saw me and was kind enough to leave the doors open. The funny part was when he waved his hands gesturing me to hurry up, It made him look sideline coach looking for me to deliver that game winning touch down. Upon arrival, I was informed the castle was to close in 30 and the entire park in an hour. No rush what so ever!

Consequently exploring the surrounding architecture became a stretch so I was only able to make it to the top of the main castle, spend 5 minutes, come around to the garden and arrive back at the exit/entrance. Although I didn’t read up to much about the castle I knew a couple things before I decided to make the trip. It was a perfect example of Japanese 14th century architecture with the use of stone, tile, and plaster for it’s outside strength and wood to insulate the inside. Himeji castle was recognized by UNESCO to be one of the three most historical castles within Japan. Rebuilding was never an issue because the castle has never been damaged by attacks or bombed during the second world war. Throughout the centuries, the castle was occupied by many clans of it’s past who all contributed to it’s enlargement. Perhaps the most famous is it’s confusing maze of paths leading up to the main keep which kept me a little occupied. Approaching forces would weave their way through some of these paths only to arrive at a dead end. However the castle was never under serge, so this left the system untested. The wooden structural interior houses many floors for dojo’s, meeting rooms, and traps/hiding spots in case of intruders. The top floor is quite spectacular. Each side had it’s own 180 degree view, whether to monitor distant forces or to lookout over the city below. We all made our way out as they politely told us it was closing time. I hung around the outside for a bit taking photos as the sun made it’s way down over the horizon. It made for a great photo opportunity and I took full advantage of it.

I decided to use the rest of the night to pick up my luggage from Shin-Osaka and board the next rapid line to Nara. From word of mouth, I heard the Super Hotels around Japan supplied travelers a cheaper alternative to the standard hotel rates and I was able to find one at Nara’s train stop. The stay was affordable for a single individual and didn’t break the wallet much.

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