Japan's Third City: Osaka

The day we arrived in Osaka the castle was already closed.  But we did have a chance to walk around it.  As with many places I visit, there's a pretty serious lag time between actually seeing a place and actually understanding and knowing some historical detail about what I am seeing - the order I typically do it in.  Not the most efficient exercise, but the way I process it is that the casual seeing of a place without any real prior knowledge later on triggers a desire - often an insatiable one - to learn more, whether I actually am fortunate to revisit that place or not.  With the Internet, where knowledge is literally at your fingertips, I can always revisit virtually!

To see a stunning aerial view of the city of Osaka and Osaka Castle Park, click here.   Not long ago, when I was scrolling through our digital images of Osaka, I started thinking about a certain American city that Osaka resembles.   Then, when I watched the aerial video - the hyperlinked one in this paragraph - and noticed all the bridges linking business districts in the commercial heart of the city, it reminded me of this American city even more.  Can you guess it?  My curiosity led me to wonder if these cities could actually be sister cities.  Bingo!  Check this out.

A view of the Osaka Skyline from the Umeda Sky Building.   Kana did take us here, and we got several wonderful photos. 

The postcard that we put in a package we mailed home.  Luckily, Mother kept everything I sent her.

CNN's Ten Reasons to Visit Osaka.