This route that Barry found has been extraordinary. It has indeed taken us to Osaka’s highlights, and also to the hidden gems. Yesterday, it took us most of the day to cover 30 Km as there was so much to see and we took our time. Today we will finish this route.
Riding in big cities in Japan has been an education for us. This photo, shows a generous area for us to ride. However, this lane will often just disappear or be taken over by cars. When traffic is busy it is best to ride on the sidewalk.
Tenoji Park is a busy place…with lovely vast grounds, a zoo, Osaka Museum of Fine Arts and plenty of space to relax in nature.
The skyscraper at the rear is called Harukas, and it is the tallest building in Osaka. It towers over 300 metres tall. It is a symbol of the effort to revitalize the Tenoji area.
Another random encounter with locals. We have never experienced such genuine kindness and friendly local people like we have in Japan. We think that our strange look with low slung trikes and our response to their greeting with Konichiwa and a smile with a bow of our head breaks the ice.
At times the crowds can be overwhelming and it feels like there is no way through. And then, like an improvised dance, one person shifts and there is magically a passage through which we can slowly weave. It is a wonderfully cooperative sharing of a busy space. We can’t imagine riding like this in Canada without anger of frustration being directed at us. It is extraordinary that everyone gets along.
Tsurenkakyen Tower is the second tower to occupy this site. The original tower was patterned after the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe in 1912. In 1943 the tower was badly damaged and the steel was used for the war effort. The new 8 sided tower was built in 1956. It advertises Hitachi.
Orange Street is one of the hip shopping areas of Osaka with trendy clothing shops featuring new and “reused” clothing . Plus it is the place to find new and unusual furniture.
Utsubo Park is a special place with an award winning rose garden, beautiful grounds and is well used. It was originally a US Airfield and that is the reason for its 700x100 metre shape.
We saw these life like statues from a distance and thought that these were real people. Very striking. This one is called “First Ride”.
Next stop in our ride is Nenkoshina Gardens. We discovered that bird life is quite an attraction here for locals. Heron, cormorants have taken roost here.
We finished our ride along the River which is the banking district. Kyoto has offered us such a variety of neighbourhoods with local colour, the traditional and the new.
