osaka castle

our friends in japan had us

sight seeing in osaka

until the moment we had to

board a train for the airport.

just hours before we flew out we were

exploring osaka castle.

it was large and

magnificent,

as you would imagine a castle to be.

the bottom 5 floors were

full of history and replicas

showing the many changes

this castle has been through during 

it's long and complicated history

(the first castle was constructed in 1597).

the top floor was a panoramic

city view of osaka

where we got to see just how

far the city stretches.

i'm really glad we took time to see

this incredible sight,

and we got to our flight with minutes to spare...

-e

this is not a photo bomb... it's our dear friend kaori

the tastes of osaka

while we were in japan

we ate some incredible food.

japan did not let us down yet!

one snack which turned out to be

one of steven's favorite meals 

was tako yaki ( fried batter with octopus).

usually we got this street food at 

a little stall while sightseeing,

but our friends in osaka knew of a place

where you could cook your own

tako yaki.

steven got a chance to 

practice his skills,

and we built some more

memories that will last a lifetime...

-e

sights of osaka

yesterday was our last 

full day in japan.

we spent it in

osaka with our friends

guiding us through miles of 

covered shopping arcades,

numerous stimulating sights,

and past hundreds of

delicious food stands.

it was a memorable way to 

leave this country.

we're going to miss the 

sometimes overwhelming amount of people

in the packed cities

and also the tranquil feel of the quiet small towns. 

as well as our dear japanese friends.

see you again someday...

-e

nara- koen

yesterday we spent a day

sightseeing with our friends in nara.

we focused on nara-koen,

an amazing park that is home 

to about 1200 deer who just roam free,

eating grass and attacking tourist who

buy "deer biscuits". 

i literally had two separate deer bite me,

once on the butt and another

on my leg
 putting a small snag in the 

fabric of my only skirt...

to escape the deer attacks

we visited some of the many shrines, 

temples, and gardens that are encompassed

in this great park.

a highlight was seeing the Great Buddha statue (Daibutsu)

which is housed on the worlds largest wooden structure

Todai-ji. 

these pictures don't do it justice...

-e