Well, first off. Let's introduce you to the wonderful couple I was so fortunate to spend the day with! To preserve their names I will refer to them further as Mr. K and Mrs. N. I had been introduced to them by a friend of mine who'm I've known for a very long time and met them during her time in Japan. I'm going to have to bring her something back because I owe her for introducing me!
This is them.The sweetest couple you'll ever see. It's reassuring to see couples like this who just go together!
I have been communicating back and forth via email with Mrs. N as I have gone through Japan and she has been my source for explinations and a lot of really good ideas. I can't thank her enough for being so helpful. She is such a sweet and caring lady! The same goes for Mr. K who had to put up with me all day. He's a very smart fellow and I get the feeling a very good business man. Watching him work would probably be fun to do! Both are some of the nicest people you'll ever meet and there's no way to express it properly. Also definitely patient if they were able have me around all day.
They are the kind of people you're always really happy to meet as you travel and certainly won't ever forget! I could go on and on about them but I'll keep it short and simply say. They're the best!
They go so well together. Kawaii.
First stop was Akashi Castle. This is actually part of the gate area because the castle itself is no longer there. Instead you'll find a really nice park and open area. We were there earlier enough that it wasn't quite busy. Though you could spot people holding spots for a hanami (flower viewing picnic) later on.
One interesting thing I learned from Mr. K was about the stairs on the way up. The steps are staggered. Longer and farther apart which would make running up them a lot more difficult. When you're walking up them you notice subconsciously that they're not quite right. After he pointed that out I was all "OOhhhh, that makes a lot of sense". Because well, it does! Now in the back of my head I've been thinking about any other locations that I've seen this.
And down into the park area we go.
Mrs. N with her sharp eyes spotted this little fella. Glad she did! I love the "isolated" sort of pictures. Plus it's always good to give it a chance to shine.
Mr. turtle sticking his head out of the water with Sakura reflections in the pond.
Further in there's a much bigger pond with boats that can be taken out. I have a feeling it was pretty busy today and gets a lot of couples coming through in the summer and fall!
I did not expect to find these birds in the trees. I thought they nested on the ground.
Poor girl, nobody should have to have their picture taken with me! She was preparing for a Tea Ceremony at the park and I love this type of dress. I think it's a very beautiful attire and was happy she was kind enough to allow the photo.
Oh, also. Hair cut. Looks the same pretty much as I get back home.
Moat around the castle. Full of coy and a single swan. They all thought we had food..
Fish market! I'd not been to one yet. It was interesting to see and there's so much fish. Yes, duh me, it's a fish market. That's where one usually finds fish. There were all sorts of good looking and tasting things. Also ran into a man from Japan who was taller than me and had played basketball. There was a good amount of octopus that was dried out for sale as well as fresh. And if you wanted really fresh there were some live crabs and shrimp!
If I remember right, which I'm prone to not do. This was very small fish with soy sauce/other flavorings. It has a nice taste to it but the texture is a little odd to me. Still had it more than one place though! Good overall.
Dried out octopus.
Tastes like chicken! Not really, but it's good. People that don't like chewy stuff wouldn't be it's biggest fan however.
At the other end. I was also given a special treat of deep fried kind of mashed potatoes with meat in it. It was so good. I haven't had any potato for a while too!
Trying some good food. I tried everything without hesitation! Well maybe almost everything, there was one squid that I didn't do. But aside from that I think everything was covered.
Akashi Kaikyo Bridge. We stopped at a rest stop that is kind of like a mini-station for cars. Shops and food alongside this nice spot to take a picture of the bridge. In the popular areas for taking photos you can often find a camera stand at the perfect angle to set up a timer and go. So convenient!
Dog club! Or at least that's what I'll call it. Not sure if they ever got the shot they wanted as well..
.. dogs are dogs.
You can also get Soft Ice Cream at the station. Hai, dozo! Yes, please! Yummy yummy.
Then on to the Akashi Kaikyo National Government Park. Also known as: The land of tulips. I'll just let you look through the tulips without my blabbering. I've never seen such a variety of tulips before. It is a super pretty park. Spring really is a great time to visit Japan.
I <3 you my little isolated flower with my color of choice.
Hello George the bunny.
I want to say these are scorpion fish. Something I'll need to watch out for in Okinawa. Their spines are poisonous. And if you're allergic to them, rather quite deadly.
Lunch! I hadn't had a meal that looked like this yet really. Usually I'm just getting the one thing or another. So good, though.
Group shot :D
Awaji, the area we were in, is known for it's beef. This is Hyogo Park if I recall correctly. Fields full of flowers.
Getting ready for tea and coffee! Aren't they cute?
I'm digging the hair cut. Good looking pair of horses.
Now if I was smart and had remembered to do it there would be pictures of the Takosato cracker factory which makes all types of rice crackers. Almond, wasabi, onion, octopus, squid ink, on and on. I bought a bag of Chocolate ones (yup, I'm american) for a snack sometime! Here's a link:
After that we headed back to Osaka. Since I hadn't made it there yet I went to the Umeda Sky Building which has an observation deck that looks out over Osaka. Definitely worth going at night when you can see things illuminated.
Like a lot of places they're made for couples! You could get a heart locket to commemorate your love up here. For me, these spots usually mean I offer to help someone take a picture of themselves instead of trying to selfie it. I don't mind though, I like being helpful! Speaking of which I gave my umbrella to two stranded girls who were trying to use a handkerchief to stop the rain as I came back from the store where I got some fruit for dinner. It was raining pretty hard and I'm no expert but a handkerchief doesn't offer the greatest range of cover. My hotel was close anyways so I figured they'd get more use out of it. Someday I'll be able to speak enough Japanese to really explain I don't need it anymore..
Anyways, night lights and a G'night from me!
Thanks again Mr. K and Mrs. N! I really enjoyed the time I spent with you today.