And we move in from the gardens in the outer periphery of Osakajo into the central part of the complex where the castle is located.
The Osaka Castle looked straight out of the Microsoft strategy game - The Age of Empires - where after the civilisation reaches a certain level, one gets to make what is called a "wonder"...
The construction of Osakajo was started in 1583 on the site that housed a much revered temple - the Ishiyama Honganji Temple, which had been destroyed in 1570. The ruler from the Toyotomi Dynasty, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, intended the castle to become the center of a new, unified Japan and was the largest castle at the time.
After Hideyoshi's death, in 1615, Tokugawa troops attacked and destroyed the castle and ended the lineage of Toyotomis. The castle was rebuilt by Tokugawa Hidetada in the 1620s, but its main castle tower was struck by lightening in 1665 and burnt down.
In 1931 a major reconstruction of the castle tower was undertaken and it was restored to its past glory. During the Second World War, the castle miraculously survived American air raids.
Cute Japanese kids posing for that perfect shot...
A cannon...
A view of downtown Osaka from observatory on level 5...
The moat below us...
A traditional boat in the moat...
The old and the new - the Japanese have blended the contrasts so well...
This part of Osaka is indeed quite green...
The former Osaka City Museum from above...
And we leave the castle just before closing time...
And we head towards downtown Osaka...
The Osaka Prefectural Police headquarters...
The sight of the Japanese dad comforting his sobbing daughter who had just fallen down while running was really adorable...
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