One of Osaka’s most uncompromisingly modern district, this business center of Kyobashi is home to its most imposing historical monument – The Osaka Castle named Himeji-jo. The original form of the castle remains almost intact and is an excellent example of Japanese wooden architecture reflecting the ultimate combination of beauty and functionality. Himeji-jo castle is also known by its nick "Shirasagi-jo" White Heron Castle in English. From the castle, the surrounding modern area looks like a city planner’s model landscape of forest, domes, mirror-clad buildings… but from the highrise, the castle seems an age away, an age out of which the city itself was born!

It’s all began over half a millenium ago, Osaka Castle was build in 1496. The temple functioned from the begining as a fort against the attack of surrounding feudal warlords. The famous tiled roof of the main tower is the first thing visible, the ridges culminating in cornices depicting great leaping golden carps, and the extensive black facings beneath the uppermost roof bear an array of nature – inspired designs done in gold.

The journey begins at the only point of access across the inner system of moats, the Sakaura-mon gate which leads to the inner courtyard.

The scale of the outer protective wall. Each clans was allocated a certain length of wall to build, based on how many bushels or "koku" of rice than clan produced. The largest weighting about 130 tons.

The entrance.

The 8th floor contains an outdoor observation deck. This photo shows a Shachi (roof tile in mythical ocean fish) that is found at the peak of the roof.

NHK building can be viewed from the Castle.

Street performing inside Castle compound area.

Monk… you can put some money in his bowl, but is this real or fake… I don’t know…

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