I woke up super comfy and didn’t want to move, so I dozed for a couple hours before finally getting up and showering. I stopped and got some coffee and a scone, then made my way to Osaka Aquarium. The specialty of this aquarium is its whale sharks, at least until they get too big for the tank at which point they release them and move one of their younger research sharks to the tank in a continuing cycle. There are currently two whale sharks in there now, one being Kai who has been there several years and is about to get released into the ocean for continued research. I looked through all their exhibits, but sat and watched the big tank for at least a half hour. So many fish and sharks in a massive three story mega tank! The setup of this aquarium is really cool, and it’s my favorite.
After wandering the aquarium for a couple hours, I made my way to Osaka Castle and took some pictures ofthe outside (I’ve been in it before, it’s very modern since it was rebuilt in the 1930s and upgraded after it burned down way back in the day) and checked out the gardens and street performances. It was about to start raining, so I headed back to the hotel and stopped at the store to pick up supplies for the next week. I laid in bed and watched the grand finale of the sumo wrestling tournament that’s been going on, then went down the street for some ramen. I spent the rest of the night planning out this week and trying to decide what I’m going to do for the few days of December that I’m here. I’m thinking I’ll head back to Kyoto on the 29th and stay through the 2nd then go back toTokyo for a few days before leaving. Where is the time going? I’ve got less than 2 weeks left!
