The Bike and the Castle

AM

Least: By 11:30am, I was riding my bike towards Daikokucho. As usual, I was on the footpath and as usual I spent much of my time dodging slow-moving pedestrians and oncoming bicycles. My flattening tyres didn't help either - I was forced to pay 50 yen for compressed air. If I was game enough to ride on the deadly road my journey might've taken half the time as long as I didn't die in transit.

Most: Approaching 11:59am, I rode north with Jack through the backish streets towards Osaka Castle. It was amazing to be so engulfed by the city and we wondered how every apartment block could be full, or how the thousands of minor restaurants and bars could survive all pitted against one another. Although the direct sunlight was oppressive, we made it to our destination after a small detour over a bridge or two.

PM

Least: Sometime around 5:00pm, I discovered an unlikely victim of the humidity and heat. My quarter-filled jar of Nescafe Gold instant coffee had collapsed into a cube. With the lid only half screwed on, the freeze-dried granules stood no chance. The 98% humidity won - no more coffee from that jar.

Most: Just after 1:00pm, I caught my first glimpse of the ramparts of Osaka-jo. The scale of the stonework is enormous, imposing and no doubt intimidating to military planners. Some of the stones were so large that it seemed impossible that they could have been placed so accurately 400 years ago. Expensive drinks were available in the bailey and be-samuried men posed for photographs in between picking up rubbish with tongs. Despite the external qualities of the castle, the interior looked like most other multi-storey buildings. Foolishly we climbed the stairs rather than taking the lift. Most impressive were the suits of armour from 1615ish and the holographic dioramas on the 7th floor. From the viewing deck I could see as far as the Tsutenkaku through the smog. Luckily I could also keep an eye out for my bike, which was a speck on the other side of the outer moat. Lamentably, I forgot my camera and could only squeeze off a couple of shots of ultra low-res phone pics (above). I will return.