We have spent considerable time in Osaka this trip for trike reasons…what with assembling the trikes, delays in the arrival of parts, problems…. Initially it was frustrating, then concerning and now we have found the silver lining.
The silver lining…first of all, the mechanic Yoshi. He is a dealer for our Azub trikes and understands recumbent trikes, he is also a dealer for Shimano, and most importantly, he is a good mechanic, eager to help and will not give up on Barry’s trike until it is right. Secondly, having the luxury of time in a city while travelling gives you the time to really get to know and appreciate all that it offers. We have enjoyed Osaka…there is much to love here.
Barry rode to Yoshi’s shop and he will work on his trike. Barry found him on the Azub website as a certified dealer for their recumbent cycles. HC Works, may have the distinction of being “smallest recumbent shop in the world”, per Honza of Azub, but the quality of his work and the trikes/bikes he sells transcends the size of the shop. We are so lucky to have found HC Works and Yoshi.
From our room we have a wonderful view of the castle. As well as enjoying that view, we are fascinated as well by this area where many tour buses bring bus loads continuously and the buses spend the night here. Daily we watch the migration of school groups and tourists walk up the path to begin their tour.
We never tire of Osaka Castle.. During our prolonged time in Osaka, we have always stayed on the edge of the Castle grounds. The castle is just one of the attractions here. The grounds are vast and one can walk or cycle for hours. There are forests, sports areas, shrines and temples, a sports arena and an area where locals who own birds such as hawks, owls etc bring them to have a day in nature and visit.
Yoshi had a busy and productive day with Barry’s trike. He worked on all possible areas that could contribute to the problems he has been experiencing. First he removed the boom to check that all the internal wiring to the battery had solid connections…and yes, all was good there. Then he replaced a malfunctioning cable from the computer display to the motor. This went well and the motor was responding as it should. One glitch however…Azub had instructed him to order a 300 mm cable and a 400 mm cable was required. Oh no! We must wait until Friday (and this is Tuesday) for the longer cable to arrive. Meanwhile he had also worked on the battery mount. He removed it and used an electrical conductive paste on all of the electrical contacts.
Guest rooms at our hotel are on the 6th to the eleventh floor and there is a Japanese Seafood restaurant on the twelfth floor. The first five floors of the hotel are reserved for special events like weddings, conferences, etc. There is a bridal salon, spa, a wedding chapel and so on. I was going up the elevator to our room, sweaty and tired from a good ride and I was joined by an elegantly dressed Japanese couple with the woman attired in a beautiful kimono. In typical gracious Japanese fashion, they were very friendly and asked where I was from and complimented our wonderful trikes. They put me at ease right away. They were going to the fifth floor for a gala event.
This is the second floor where conferences are held.
This three story wall of stained glass is made up of of countless glass squares. It is quite beautiful and takes on different characteristics and hues depending on the time of day.
The Japanese female artist who created this wall is well known for her stained glass work in Japan.She has other large art installations on this scale in Japan.
Thanks to Golden Week being over, the prices have dropped to a more comfortable level for us. We are enjoying the comforts of this hotel at an affordable price. We explained that we needed to stay longer and they have given us the same room for a good price. We are grateful. Now we need to make some plans for exploring Osaka by bike…and perhaps the Shimano Bike Museum.
