Osaka Trip

Glenn surprised me for Mother's Day with a family trip to Osaka, Japan. He made sure the day was all about "me". We did everything I wanted to do... which mostly meant that I could take as many pictures as I wanted and no one was allowed to complain.... smiles only!

We travelled on the Shinkansen (Bullet Train) for 2.5 hours. The Shinkansen travels up to 361 mph... Holy speed Batman!
The Shinkansen rides a lot like an airplane, but with more room to move around, and the seats "swivel" so you can face each other. As part of this "me" day, Glenn sat with the kids so I could sit alone to relax and read. I even took a nap... nice.


We were fortunate to see Mt. Fuji from our train window... isn't it awesome? Mt. Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan and is actually a dormant volcano that last erupted in 1707.

We toured Osaka Castle, which was built in 1496... about the time America was being discovered. Weird huh? Historical buildings take on a totally different meaning outside of the United States.
Jonas found sacred water to wash up (and taste... ah-hem) before entering this revered site.

Osaka Castle was home of Hideyoshi Toyotomi. His story is interesting. He was was born an insignificant farmer and through his drive and craftiness, he became a huge warlord. He even managed to marry a princess and become part of a royal line. Ambition anyone?

We tried on authentic Samurai costumes. The helmets were incredibly heavy... we all wondered how they could possibly battle with such a heavy piece of equipment on their head. Mine gave me a headache after only a few minutes.
The Samurai have always intrigued Glenn. Samurai are a very well respected group of soldiers who's only job is to protect their Lord, even if it means loosing their life. In fact loosing their life for their Lord is considered a great honor.


Glenn makes a stud of a Samurai, don't you think? If you ever get a chance to see the film, "Last Samurai" it is awesome (remember this is coming from the opinion of two movie snobs).
"Me so horny"
Jonas was in "boy" heaven.... a costume and a sword = a perfect day.
A local priest stood near the castle. He is praying even though it may look like he is begging. The mechanical way he moved made him seem like he was a Disney animatronic. Speaking of Disney....

"Concubines. Ugly concubines." - Mulan
Shailey got her caricature made by a local artist.
Uh, Emma? There is a monkey on your back. Emma is always toting around stuffed animals (stuffies). We have to do a thorough search of her suitcase and backpack before any trip to be sure she has not packed all her favorite stuffies. Since this stuffy can hang on Emma's neck, he made it past the "mom and dad stuffy inspection".


YUM... yaki ika (fried squid) from a street vendor. It was yummy, but chewy.

Ampanman is a famous Japanese children's superhero...

The next day Glenn had a business meeting, so I took the kids to the Osaka Aquarium (Kaiyukan).

This HUGE stingray has a wing span easily 8 feet wide.While the fish were amazing, apparently so were we. The little school groups could not stop staring at the Americans. I guess when you are out of Tokyo, gaijin (foreigners) are a rare exhibition. Kids would come up and say "hello" and then run away and giggle.

I love this school group in their "pea pod" hats. When I snapped this photo, I had no idea there was this funny girl in the middle. I think she was yelling at the octopus.
After the aquarium, we took a ride on the Tempozan Harbor Village Ferris Wheel. At 695 feet in height, it once was the world's largest ferris wheel....whoa.

View of Osaka Bay from the top of the ferris wheel.
Emma got a little freaked out the higher we climbed... Shailey enjoyed teasing Emma by trying to make our car shake.

It was an amazing Mother's Day weekend. Glenn you ROCK. He couldn't have planned a better Mother's Day for me: no cooking, no cleaning, outside in fresh air, cultural experience, fun foods, watching Veronica Mars, swimming at the hotel, touring new a new place, and pictures, lots and lots of pictures. Absolutely perfect.