Osaka Aquarium

As part of our recent trip to Osaka, we made our way over to the Osaka aquarium. Living in Kyoto is absolutely amazing, and the only way it could be any better is if it was on the ocean. Thankfully living on an island nation, we are able to access the ocean within 30 minutes by train.

Having never been to a Japanese aquarium we just sort of expected it to be identical to aquariums in the states. Boy were we wrong! I apologize now to anyone who has not been to an aquarium in the states and is reading this, because the difference may not make sense. With that said, the biggest difference between the two is the layout. If you are familiar with aquariums in the states, you know you can walk around as if it was a museum, a little bit of time here, a bit here, basically just walk around as you please.

The Osaka aquarium is a different story entirely. You purchase your tickets outside, and then enter on the first floor. You then take an escalator up seven stories and begin your decent, along with the 200 other people who have decided to visit the aquarium on a late Saturday afternoon.

You then wind your way down the floors, still with the 200 other people, all packed in together with little ventilation or room to move. As you descend through the floors, you walk through a series of areas of the world, “Japanese rain forest”, “Monterey,” and “Antarctica” to name a few.  As you walk, you really just see the same tanks, only lower and lower into the tank’s depths (so you see the same fish, seals, and other sea-life over and over). It’s sort of amazing and depressing all at the same time.

The Antarctica exhibit where, if the seals wanted there was nothing in between you and them...

Your eyes are not deceiving you, that sting ray is leopard print!

Giant sea crabs

Full size shark in the tank...

dinner...

Another classic English shirt

Regardless, there were some really amazing areas, where you could pet sting rays and small sharks, and even a few fish we had never see before. You could also get really close to penguins, and as the station is unmanned you could probably get away with reaching out and touching one….terrifying as that sounds.

Hornet Sighting, Nightmares Do Come True

The mythical Japanese Hornet has been sighted. On our recent weekend adventure to Kurama and Kibune, the large beast was spotted on the lower portion of the trail. It looked tenacious and fierce, proud of its notorious reputation. I'm almost certain that it smelled the fear emanating out of my body (or maybe that was just the sweat from the 90+ degree heat). Either way, he gave us a dance that clearly said "stay away" and we obliged. One thing we've learned, don't mess with the Juju in Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. This guy was left well enough alone.

Update: We've come across these hornets on other hikes. They appear to live in the woodland hills around Kyoto.  No stings yet, but we'll post on the damage if it occurs.

Monkey Mountain

We had a couple friends/coworkers in town this weekend who were able to stay a night with us and take a little Saturday adventure. Needing to stay close to home during the morning, for a meeting with immigration people at the kyoto house, we went to Nijo Castle. After the meeting, we decided to trek out to Arashiyama ,and better still onto monkey mountain.  Getting to the mountain is really easy with a host of signs (in Japanese and English) pointing the way.

                                  "great view" and a monkey feeding himself were so simply put and yet so accurate

Photo of the town, Arashiyama. The town itself is really cute and touristy and there were lots of people from all over the world who had come to see the variety of temples, shrines, and special unique attractions. 

Once you arrive at the mountain's base camp, you pay 550yen (5.50USD) and are warned to pack away all your food. Although we heeded the warning and put everything in a bag, it seemed a quite silly. Little did we know that the monkeys have access to the entire mountain and we even saw a few on the hike up. The hike is about 20 minutes, and is not wheelchair (or severely-out-of-shape) accessible. If you decide to take the hike it's well worth your time. Here are a few shots we took at the mountain. Of course not planning originally to go to the mountain, we only brought a phone camera and not the good one (oh well, we are sure to go again).

We highly recommend going inside the feeding house/hut thing when you arrive. They freeze the little towels you get all over Japan, so they work like a really nice ice cube while you rub your hands...genius idea!

Who didn't want a piece of shade on this day. It was so freaking hot!! 

Monkeys and people living in harmony...for the most part

Inside the hut you could buy really cheap apples and bananas for the monkeys. There was a sign on how to feed the monkeys (we really recommend they put up more...near where you actually feed the monkeys). They encouraged a flat palm like you feed a horse. 

This is what happens when you don't see the feeding sign before feeding the monkeys. If you can't see it, the monkey has ahold of my finger and the apple piece is flying through the air...not recommended as it scares the shit out of you when their tiny fingers get you! They are serious about those apples. 

Proper technique

Although they recommend you not bend down (a sign we also saw way too late) these monkeys really didn't care what we were doing. 

The monkeys really liked the pond and the koi that lived in it. They would put their hands in, trying to touch the fish. 

Kev got too close to this monkey (no less than 3m was recommended). This photo is taken a SECOND before the monkey showed his teeth and chased Kev for about 3 feet. Thankfully, by 3 feet a staff member ran over and scared the monkey up a tree. Classic Japanese, nothing was said to Kev, even though he clearly had been breaking the rule of not getting too close. 

A monkey checking out a monkey checking out koi

D-san attempting to run down a children's slide at the entrance to the official monkey area. 

 A couple more great signs from Arashiyama and the monkey mountain.

Oh, did I forget to mention we got to see the bamboo forest briefly on our way out of Arashiyama?!

Once back in Kyoto city, we stopped at the river to have a drink and just sit for a bit (after a full day of walking we were all exhausted!). It was a perfect moment as someone had set free hundreds of paper cranes down the river. As we sat on the bank we were able to watch them float down the river and go over the little waterfalls. 

As if this perfect day couldn't have gotten any better, the fire dancer was out again tonight, so before dinner we got a free show! 

Classic Japan..."research boats" my ass...Whale was on the menu at the restaurant (and we've seen it in stores)

and just sort of one of those "oh no way!" moments when we saw this (below)

We did not try either of these options, instead opting for fish and D-san and M-san had slightly more common meat items.