Saturday, August 5, 2017 – Kyoto to Osaka, Japan
We started the day at Fushimi Inari Taisha – a Shinto shrine for the Inari, or fox god. The shrine is on the side of a mountain with trails to the top lined with thousands of red gates. It was stunning to behold. We went about halfway up, which was high enough in 95-degree, high humidity, Florida-type weather. From the vantage point we reached we could see Kyoto nearby and Osaka in the distance. The base of the mountain where the trails and gates begin has several shops and restaurants catering to the many visitors to the shrine. We had rice bowls for lunch and bought frozen pudding on a stick from a street vendor. From the shrine we proceeded on the train to Osaka.
We were only in Osaka for one night. It was our only one-night stop of the trip and our only night in a regular, western-style hotel. Osaka is known as the night life and fun capital of Japan – kind of like Orlando or Las Vegas in the U.S. It was a fun place. There were a lot of people and a lot of shopping areas, but not as many bars and nightlife venues as I expected.
We spent time luggage shopping in a multi-floor department store. We have a habit of wearing out luggage and replacing it while on a trip. This time it was a wheel breaking off of Chrissy’s suitcase. We found a nice new one that we are still using in 2021, and it was not the last time we left a suitcase in a hotel room for housekeeping to dispose of. We grabbed some dinner and spent the rest of the evening walking around the city. We saw a J-Pop group performing by the river. We watched them for a while and simply soaked in the sights and sounds of another new place.
Where Are We Going Now? 
Great set of pictures with this posting. Thanks for sharing.
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