Monday 23 October 2023

Seoul

I have fully recovered from my day of travel and travail (more about that later), and am enjoying getting to know Seoul. The temperature is a little bit cooler than it was in Japan, but not nearly as cold as I expected. And the sun continues to shine upon my head. But you will have to wait a while before I can tell you about my first day here; I must return to last Friday, my final morning in Kyoto and my afternoon travel to Osaka, for two nights this time.

Friday Morning:  Kyoto

On my way to breakfast, I bring my larger bag to the front desk for shipping to my hotel in Osaka. This is a great service that the Japanese use quite often, either when traveling themselves or shipping parcels to other locations. And it is not very expensive: my suitcase costs just $16.67 so I don't have to take a taxi to the railway station or lug it around as I travel.

I leave my other stuff in storage at the hotel until I am ready to leave for Osaka. Thus I am free to visit one more important temple, this time southwest of the train station, an area I haven't explored yet. It's not a long walk and I pass lots of shops and other interesting things along the way, such as this weird site:

This last temple, Toda-ji (794, rebuilt 17th century), is one of the oldest in Kyoto. Even before passing through the very large entry gate I can see the famous five-story pagoda, the highest in Japan. 

Toda-ji Entrance Gate

Visitors are welcome to climb the five stories (for an admission fee); for me, the price on my body is too high. By the way, I didn't climb it back in 1985 either!

Although the garden here is smaller and less impressive than at the other temples I have visited, the grounds are large with many notable buildings.

High School Students Presenting Themselves to the Buddha
Enshrined in the Temple Building in Photo Above

Decorative Lantern (left) and Wooden Boards with Suppliants' Wishes (right)

But wait, there's more  . . . 

Friday Afternoon:  Kyoto to Osaka

I take the familiar train ride to Osaka again, but this time a rapid express directly to Osaka Station, near where I had dinner with Akiko, rather than to Shin-Osaka Station, where the Shinkansen stops. All big city stations in Japan are enormous cities-within-cities, offering anything the traveler might need or desire. It is easy to get lost in these behemoths and it takes a lot of walking to get where you need to be (or just to get in and out)--but it's all very modern and efficient. 

From the station it's another taxi ride to my two-night (free) stay at the Royal Park Canvas Hotel (thanks to American Airlines frequent flier miles). Osaka is huge and spreads out in all directions. The airport is on a man-made island in the harbor--it will take 45 minutes by car to get there on Sunday morning. But the hotel is well-located for the things I wish to do on this short visit. Soon after my late afternoon arrival, the sky delivers a downpour. I decide to take it easy and start my sightseeing in the morning. 

Thus I will end here and introduce you to Osaka Castle and the bright neon lights of Dotonburi in the next blog.