🧳🇯🇵🧳 OSAKA, JAPAN - March 30, 2019 - Osaka Castle

Today two sights and a perfect somewhat sunny day. Osaka castle 大坂城 is one of Japan’s most famous landmarks. It played a major role in the unification of Japan during the 16th century.

 Costume photo opportunity 

Every castle has to have a cannon

And a small climb and an elevator and the views ...

And, near the castle walls, excitement over nesting raptors. Not sure what birds they were but there was one in a cranny in the massive walls. With the photography professionals present,  cab only assume it was somewhat uncommon. My feeble photo was with my regular lense as by the time I changed lenses, the bird had moved away.

Equally exciting ... a wedding photo session. Traditional Japanese wedding.

And paparazzi that I am ... the whole wedding party

The thing to do on a sunny afternoon at cherry blossom time is picnic 

Brown-eared Bulbul watching it all

Primo fruit at primo prices. Special apricots 2500 ¥ C$30.10) which is $3.34 per apricot. 

And the most expensive strawberries I have ever seen. White, pink and traditional red. Nine premium size white strawberries for 5500¥ or C$66.23 and that works out to be $7.35 per strawberry. 

🧳🇯🇵🧳 OSAKA, JAPAN - March 29, 2019 - Another evening in Osaka

Perhaps the most visited and most famous evening area is Dontonburi and Glico’s Running Man Signboard, Osaka’s Symbol. What a place!

The Glico Running Man Sign at right







Ticket seller with SOLD OUT board for canal boat rides at night







Yes, that’s a Ferris Wheel

An interesting old bar / restaurant 

Last gasp of puffer fish awaiting it’s fate at the restaurant table

🧳🇯🇵🧳 OSAKA, JAPAN - March 29, 2019 - Nara Park 奈良公園 and Todai-Ji Buddhist Temple

On the first day it was off to Nara Park. Likely most famous for its deer. Over 1200 roam freely throughout the park. A National Treasure. Most have become very tame and can be fed deer crackers available throughout the park. They can become aggressive if you have crackers and don’t hand them out quickly. I’ll concentrate on the deer first, as well there is a beautiful World Heritage site Buddha temple in the park.

Some of the deer have learned to bow as a behaviour response to being fed deer crackers

Danger deer crossing on the road but an incident where about one hundred deer suddenly ran through the crowd including children makes one stop and think ... the following set of photos were taken during this run!

Note the white flare raised on their rumps!

The herd after the run ... not sure if there were more deer or photographers 

Selling roasted sweet potatoes 

And on to the temple ... Todai-Ji

The great Buddha, 48.91 feet (14.908 meters). Todai-Ji according to Wikipedia  “According to records kept by Tōdai-ji, more than 2,600,000 people in total helped construct the Great Buddha and its Hall; contributing rice, wood, metal, cloth, or labor; with 350,000 working directly on the statue's construction.”