I slept really well last night in my closet. It's a good thing I'm not claustrophobic because this hotel room is tiny even for one person. You could wash your hands at the sink, and turn on the shower, all from where you sit on the toilet. It is probably more noticeable coming from my last swanky room. The bathroom of that hotel was bigger than my entire room here. But it gets the job done, and the location is super convenient. I fly out this evening so I really only had a little over half a day to explore, and I didn't waste any time. Stepping outside, the Dotonbori neon Vegas nightlife had been replaced by the hangover afterwards. Most signs were turned off, far fewer people were out, and the remnants of the party the night before lined the curb and sidewalks. I ran into a few snags with the subway again as I was attempting to buy a ticket. I thought it was bizarre that the ticket machines only accept cash, coins, or a local IC Card, none of which I had. I intentionally did not get any Japanese Yen because of my brief visit, but couldn't believe that in a modern country like Japan there would be no way to charge your way around. Turns out they had me beat; you don't even have to buy tickets, you can just tap your credit card chip at the turnstiles when you enter and exit, genius! Thank goodness for a Google search enlightening me and restoring my faith in Japan. Osaka Castle was my goal today. It is a very large tiered traditional Japanese building, surrounded by gardens and grounds, and then a gigantic moat and walls. I walked the entire outer-moat circumference before crossing one of the bridges to the protected interior. It was definitely built (in the late 1500's) to be a defensive structure. I can't imagine trying to storm the formidable stone walls or barging through the massive gates. It's actually lucky to still be standing though, as the area was heavily bombed on the last day of WW2 before the surrender. There was no snow today, but it was bleak and frigid with a cold wind making it worse. My body was fine using my trick of 4 layers of shirts (why didn't I listen to my mother and pack my puffy Patagonia?!) but my face and hands were numb. The castle itself has been retrofitted to be a museum, and the entrance fee was worth every penny to get inside a heated building for an hour. Floor after floor of exhibits and history lessons eventually led me to the very top where you can get a 360 view out over the castle grounds, walls, moat, and the urban sprawl of Osaka beyond. At that point, I sadly made my way back to the hotel for a final shower before I began the next day of air travel. This time, I was able to buy my ticket and board the Airport Express no problem, and quickly made my way to the Kansai Lounge until it was time to board. If I'm trying to be meditative and reflective, I could say a few things, and at the risk of sounding corny, I'll still say them, because I think we all would have these thoughts if we just paused to think them. I enjoy how travel pushes my boundaries, puts me on the edge of the uncomfortableness, where anything can happen and plans can change but you learn resilience and creativity. Seeing how other cultures address life shows there is more than our own preconceived notion of how things should be done. My photography hobby makes me slow down and open my eyes to better appreciate what's around me, and it also serves as the ultimate souvenir, where a glimpse of a photo can bring back a feeling from the moment it was taken, or at the very least, a feeling of adventure and being alive. I think that's why I love the movie "Secret Life of Walter Mitty," where this trip began. I can't take credit for the words, the movie paraphrases them, but LIFE Magazine's motto rings true:
"To see life; to see the world; to eyewitness great events; to watch the faces of the poor and the gestures of the proud; to see strange things—machines, armies, multitudes, shadows in the jungle and on the moon; to see man's work—his paintings, towers and discoveries; to see things thousands of miles away, things hidden behind walls and within rooms, things dangerous to come to; the women that men love and many children; to see and take pleasure in seeing; to see and be amazed; to see and be instructed..."
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