The Dotonbori (道頓堀) area is a popular nightlife and entertainment area with an eccentric atmosphere and large illuminated signboards.
Read
We attended the LEGO Piece of Peace World Heritage Exhibition at Daimaru. It showcases LEGO models of World Heritage sites and buildings.
Read
Day 1 in Osaka. We walked around the Shinsaibashi area, starting from Midosuji towards Amerikamura, then Europe-dori and the shopping street.
Read.b54430a9.jpeg)
We visited Namba City, next to Namba Station, and then walked to Namba Parks, another huge shopping centre with an interesting architecture.
Read
Namba Walk is an underground mall that looks like it has seen better days. They have a Hello Kitty spring promotion so we took photos.
Read
Today is a rainy day, which is perfect for travelling from Osaka to Nagasaki. We arrived at 3pm and checked in to the Richmond Hotel.
Read
We walked through the Nagasaki Seaside Park. This offers views of Dejima Harbour and incoming boats, plus open space.
Read.dc3f6828.jpeg)
Gunkanjima (Battleship Island) was originally called Hashima with a seabed coalmine. After the mine was closed, the island fell into ruin.
Read
The Atomic Bomb Hypocentre has concentric circles marked around it like a bullseye target, next to the nearby remains of the Urakami church.
Read.8fca07cf.jpeg)
We also visited the Nagasaki Peace Museum, which was similar to the one in Hiroshima but on a smaller scale.
Read
Nagasaki Peace Park is built on a low hill to the north of the hypocentre of the atomic bomb blast, and features the Peace Sculpture.
Read.7ab459d7.jpeg)
.763c089b.jpeg)
The strangely named "Dutch Slope" is a sloping road leading up to a hill where there are historical Western style houses.
Read.9e918013.jpeg)
Glover Garden is situated on the southern slope of the Minamiyamate hillside and offers a superb and extensive view of Nagasaki Harbour.
Read
Shianbashi is Nagasaki's nightlife area (and former red light district). At night, it comes alive with little restaurants and snack bars.
Read
Spectacles Bridge is Japan's first Chinese-style stone bridge and one of Japan's Top 3 most well known bridges.
Read.03c72d21.jpeg)
In the late afternoon, we caught a streetcar to Suwajinjamae and crossed the Nakashima River to visit Teramachi. The name literally means "Temple town" and it is a street full of ... temples. Each temple is different, and the experience visiting all of them is almost overwhelming.
Read
The Amsterdam Square in Huis Ten Bosch evokes the famous Dam Square with a European village adjacent to it.
Read.08596a27.jpeg)
We boarded a cruiser at Canaltown that took us on a canal cruise all the way to Tower City where a replica of the Domtoren is.
Read.6eaf4d40.jpeg)
The replica of Domtoren (the famous church tower in Utrecht) at Huis Ten Bosch has an observation deck with great 360 degree views.
Read
The Stadhuis replica in "Amsterdam Square" in Huis Ten Bosch has a magnificent crystal and glass museum called "Gyaman Gallery".
Read
We arrived at the tiny but very, very cute JR Huis Ten Bosch station, walked across a bridge to the Huis Ten Bosch theme park.
Read
Today we are travelling on the Seaside Liner from Nagasaki to Huis Ten Bosch. Took a few photos at Nagasaki Station.
Read.9cbcf8bd.jpeg)
The Night Lights in Huis Ten Bosch are very colourful with a lot of the buildings lit up, with "light" flowing from the Domtoren.
Read
We visited a recreation of Kasteel Nijenrode containing the Teddy Bear Kingdom, an extensive collection of teddy bears from around the world.
Read
Thriller and Attraction Cities in Huis Ten Bosch contain a variety of theme park attractions surrounded by a fountain.
Read.4161f40d.jpeg)
We wandered around Huis Ten Bosch in the afternoon to catch any final sights or attractions that we missed on the first day.
Read
On our last night at Huis Ten Bosch we stayed back to watch the evening parade and soak up the atmosphere.
Read.0072d2fc.jpeg)
The Flower Road at Huis Ten Bosch features windmills, tulips, the Delftsebrug bridge, and a cheese shop called Cheese Waag.
Read
The Game Museum at Huis Ten Bosch contains a display of various gaming consoles past to present as well as various arcade machines.
Read.90f8078c.jpeg)
Harbor Town in Huis Ten Bosch has theme park attractions, the Huis Ten Bosch castle, and a replica of a Dutch ship called De Liefde.
Read
The Porcelain Museum at Huis Ten Bosch is full of rooms of porcelain displays, a second hall with upholsteries and a third hall with pottery.
Read
TSuper Trick Art is yet another of those 3D art places that you pose in front of. The lighting is a bit dark in places.
Read
We are travelling from Huis Ten Bosch to Osaka. We checked out of the hotel, made our way back to the Huis Ten Bosch station.
Read
We visited the Umeda Sky Building for dinner, and then afterwards go to the rooftop to experience cityscapes of Osaka at Night.
Read
On our return back to the station, we couldn't resist stopping by at a Hello Kitty themed cafe called Cafe de Miki.
Read
Himeji Castle (姫路城) is the largest and most visited castle in Japan, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was fully restored in 2015.
Read
Koko-en (好古園) is a Japanese garden next to Himeji Castle. It was constructed in 1992 at the site of the lord's west residence.
Read.1ff378f1.jpeg)
Himeji is the second largest city in Hyogo and is famous for Himeji Castle and Kokoen garden. There are many statues on Otemaedori.
Read
On our last day in Osaka, we wandered around the block from the hotel and ended up in Osaka Station City, a large shopping mall.
Read