Tokyo Vege Food Festa

It was rainy and dreary, but we ventured out for the Vege Food Festa. My friend and I were ready to stuff ourselves! The dude and some of our other friends had a more reasonable approach to sampling the food at the festival. Our group ended up buying pizza with soy cheese, ramen, sushi, channa masala and puffy fried bread, and lots of baked goods (mostly breads and muffins). There were several animal welfare groups at the festival too. My favorite was Niigata no kill shelter.

Osaka - other sights

There was an ice-skating rink at the Osaka station.

We met with some animal rescue folks for dinner at a buffet near the station.

Osaka - History Museum, part 2

Osaka - History Museum

After visiting the castle and having lunch, we went to the history museum. The museum had lots of large displays, which was quite different from most of the museums we've visited so far. It was fun to collect stamps throughout the museum, and to play in the archaeology interactive exhibit.

Osaka - Green Cafe

We stopped at Green Cafe for lunch. The owner was so lovely, he stopped to talk with us. My friend and I ordered pizza with cashew cheese, and the dude ordered a veggie burger. I ordered a pumpkin pie and soy ice cream for dessert, but my friend's lemon cheesecake was slightly better.

Osaka - Osaka Castle, part 3

The museum collection had lots of interesting artifacts. We saw several types of armors, painted screens, and models of battles.

Osaka - Osaka Castle, part 2

The inside of the castle is essentially a museum. There were famous battles over the castle. We went up to the observatory deck and worked our way downstairs to view the museum's collection.

Osaka - Osaka Castle

A must-see sight in Osaka is the Osaka Castle. We walked around the park before heading over to the castle area. There are several museums nearby, perfect for an afternoon. The shrine in the third photo is for a place where a monk hung his robe, and the tree stump photo is where the famous tree used to be.

Osaka - Shitennoji Temple, part 3

Osaka - Shitennoji Temple, part 2

Osaka - Shitennoji Temple

When my friend visited us over Thanksgiving, we went to Kyoto and Osaka. We stayed in a hostel, which was quite the experience. My friend has stayed in hostels while traveling before, but the dude and I were rather surprised. I guess I should have known by how cheap it was, even though it was listed on hotels(dot)com. Our first stop in Osaka was Shitennoji Temple.