April 22, 2023
A Magical Saturday in Osaka 🚴🚴🏼♀️
We are a lot closer to being able to start touring on our trikes….just one final hurdle to get over. Yoshi ran into a problem that requires a tool that he had to order and it will arrive this coming Tuesday. So, here we are…we have our trikes back 😄and until the tool arrives we will be riding old school, on our trikes without e-assist.
We got busy and made a new plan. We will continue to stay at our hotel until Tuesday, but as they are fully booked tonight, we will venture into a different area of Osaka and stay in a traditional inn, a ryokan for one night.
With the day free to explore, we decided to head to the castle and explore further the magnificent grounds and whatever else strikes our fancy. We can check in at 4 at the Ryokan, so as the cliche goes…the world (Osaka) is our oyster.
In Canada, we poured over the accommodation offerings in Osaka and there was something special about The Hotel Lutheran that stood out. Their positive philosophy of service and problem solving shone through whenever we queried via email about things like our trikes. Plus we liked its quiet location and homey comfortable rooms. All of the above has proven to be true, but the outstanding reason we love it so much is the staff. We have already booked to stay here in July before our flight home. This place feels like our home away from home.
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Once we rode through the gates of the Castle, we realized that our experience here would be totally different today . There is a festive air…families with all of their generations, pop up food stalls, concerts, weddings, walkers, cyclists and so many pets.
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Everybody, who is anybody, was there. We were met with smiles, puzzled looks and genuine friendliness.
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1 year ago
And he did. All my life I tend to wander and sadly get lost very easily. My poor mom…as a young child, I would wander off in departments stores when we visited Toronto and I would find myself being escorted to the mgr’s office to see my mom sitting there stressed and tearful by my disappearance. When will I learn? Poor Barry!
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Osaka was devastated and mostly levelled by incendiary bombs and strafing. To hear a child’s account of their personal experience is sobering. The tone and message of the museum is one of remembrance, respect and building peace for the future.
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1 year ago
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We hadn’t planned to spend the day here, but there was just so much to take in. How wonderful, that Osaka -a busy and densely populated city has left this magnificent space free for all to enjoy.
Today sums up our joy in travelling. You can plan, and plan, yet often the best days are the ones that evolve naturally. When travelling like this with relatively few deadlines or demands, we enjoy the opportunity to stretch out and allow these special moments to happen.
Now, we ride to find our ryokan!
Our ryokan is in located in an established neighbourhood with mostly narrow streets and small traditional homes. We initially had trouble finding it as all of the signage was in Japanese.
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Today's ride: 12 km (7 miles)
Total: 18 km (11 miles)
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Enjoy your trip to Japan
be careful
The recumbent rider I met at Osaka Castle yesterday
Take care of your teeth and enjoy delicious Japanese food
dentist masuteru oka
1 year ago
Thank you for your message. We both really enjoyed meeting you yesterday at the Castle. We see Yoshi again on Tuesday at his shop. We will tell him that we met you. Take care…and yes, Barry will look after his teeth.
Mary Ellen and Barry Bartlett
1 year ago