It's notable that on some "Top 10 Things to do in Osaka", "Day Trip to Kyoto" appears as one of them! There are actually loads of things to see and do here, such as The 2025 Expo, Universal Studios, the Osaka Aquarium and, of course, the castle, but...it isn't far from the truth to say that of the top 100 things to do here, 95 are shopping or eating. The population of Osaka is almost the same as London, but it has an estimated 120,000 eateries compared with London's 15,000! A ninefold uplift! Zoiks, Scooby Doo! So this morning we went and joined the throng at Osaka-jō. This is (obviously) a reconstruction of an earlier one that burned down, which replaced the one before that which was burned to the ground! This concrete copy may last a bit longer. The most extraordinary thing about these Japanese castles is their moats and defensive walls. They could have taught the Europeans a thing or two. The earlier two...
