- Back to Kansai
It is time to get back to Kansai. First a visit to Hiroshima Castle. The original one apparently has been destroyed by the atomic bomb (you can see a photo of the site in the castle), this one was built in a similar design. They have a pretty cute mascot also.
The day we drove back to Kobe turned out to be extremely hot. We were only able to snap a few quick pictures in the Kobe harbor. Instead, we did a lot of local people do, going up to the nearby Rokko Mountain where it is at least 5-8 degrees lower temperature than Kobe. Plus you have a great view of the Osaka-Kobe harbor. There is a western style garden and shops up there, also great local snacks😊After driving for hours, and visiting the Cup Noodle Museum near Kobe, the day ended with a Ramen near Uji.
- Osaka Tenjin Matsuri
If you want to experience a tradition that has lasted over 1000 years, come to Osaka on 7/25 and stay by the river. The Tenjin Matsuri - Wikipedia is famous for the river floats and huge bonfire into the night! Also you can experience great street vendors of various foods. This year we even see Geshia accompany their guests on the street. Frankly, if you are in a popular tourist place in Japan and see people in Kimono or Yukata, 9 out of 10 that would be a foreign tourist. But in the Tenjin Matsuri, normal Japanese people came out in Yukata and other traditional cloth.
The street vendors are not all about food, there are also entertainment stands you saw in Japanese anime, including a full-blown ghost house! In a tent!
The key attraction is certainly the river and the floats on it. They got a bonfire boat and two people who will pour gasoline on the fire whenever other floats passed by. Is this OSHA compliant? Come on, this is Japan, it is better than OSHA!
After the river parade, people still pick up food from the street stands. Yakitori is the classic!
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