Shitenno-Ji Temple, Osaka

A rather cloudy damp morning for our arrival in Osaka, but the weather didn't dampen our spirits!  As our ship slid gently to a halt at the pier, we were greeted by a very enthusiastic drummer (see extra).

We visited Shitenno-Ji Temple, one of the oldest Buddhist temples in Japan, founded in the year 593.  Just beautiful, with amazing paintings on the inner walls of the Main Hall.  Unfortunately no photography is allowed inside the buildings, but the exterior was also very beautiful, as you can see.

We then completely changed tempo, and visited the very modern Umeda Sky Building -- towering 40 stories above the city, you ascend to the roof via a combination of glass-enclosed elevators and see-through escalators.  Once you reach the vertiginous top, the whole city of Osaka is spread out far below.  Quite an experience!

Tonight we go to a Geisha Performance and local dinner, but I suspect it will be very late when we get back to the ship, so I'll try to post some images as extras tomorrow.