And the day came that changed our base. We collected maletones and parted the Edoya and after almost 3 hours we fit shinkansen in Osaka, a city that would be our new headquarters, exactly at the Hotel Raizan South. This hotel did not live up to what you expected ... and coming from someone who is not picky about hotels. Let's see, is a backpacker's hotel and basically what we expected, but of course the exchange between the room for 6 people (we occupy only 5) in the Edoya to individual matchbox Raizan because we caused some shock. The room was too small to open the bag you had to put it on the bed for instance. Addition had no toilet in the room, which loses many points for me.

Anyway, as I always say, the hotel to shower and sleep. The rest of the day kicking, and that was playing ... so we headed to the new station would be our starting SHINIMAMIYA.

As part of the day we had lost with the transfer between Tokyo and Osaka the day I planned to visit some sites of the same Osaka. Our first tour was the central temple Shitennoji.

Shitennoji has distant echoes the Asakusa Sensoji, but if I'm honest, at this stage of the trip and visited temple after so we bring anything new. Perhaps we should have visited other sites in the city (this error is subsano with a visit to Osaka, 2010).

But look where that Edu and I decided to climb to the pagoda to do something different.

And above all, after 5 floors of stairs, we find "this" ... do not ask me is, if someone knows that you discuss.

Also do we have another interesting picture. How these lamps.

Or this homage to monks who have been through the temple's history.

After playing and eating Shitennoji something and then go to our next destination, the castle of Osaka.

On the outskirts of Osaka find jobs and amateur groups playing live.

As this battery solitaro:

Either this group, whose pianist imitated the "red hot chilli peppers" of the past and gave a concert in gayumbos.

And at the end of the avenue, the castle. Here are the 5 just before invading the fortress.

At the door of the castle was the showman performing a show, we believe that humor, as we heard some laughter. But unlike others we saw when you could more or less understand something by gestures, in this case we did not know of anything ... so we went ahead with their permission.

In case anyone has doubts about the ticket price and schedule of the castle.

To me this castle I think a smaller version of Himeji.

The views are interesting and comes into your head like you at that time, for centuries a samurai guarding their territory from there.

This is one of the details that adorn the roofs.

In the photo below to see Edu-chan fighting with the machine that you had the commemorative coins that you find all over Japan, this particular one is located across the top of the castle.

And after that, finally Dotombori, the throbbing heart of Osaka.

I just loved it, is vital, bustling, colorful. All kinds of restaurants and shops where you find everything.

Guess we had dinner that night?

And when I say all kinds of restaurants, is literal, and next to each other (or above). This in particular is a popular restaurant where you can take the poisonous pufferfish.

There must be something of mosquito, because when he saw a flashlight at night I would head towards them. I love them!

Here they specialize in Takoyaki is a dish ... but I do not like much.

As usual in my articles, here you can see video of what I have told so far:

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Uploaded by m0rgi0n . - Explore vacations and getaways in video.

And after spending the afternoon / evening at Dotombori was the icing on the cake ... we had a MATSURI to visit, the "fire festival Gangara or Umeda." Upon arrival by train to the city, find a place where they were singing live, and this particular singer did really well.

Well played to mingle with the crowd to follow the procession, as you see in the picture was formed by groups of torches GIANTS.

The carrying heavy torches were naked to the waist and you could see fire shrapnel falling on his back constantly.

The route of the torch goes from the mountain where they set fire to two huge Kanji, to the temples of Umeda, in which to save this sacred flame.

But of course, also has its side matsuri holiday. An enclosure find an area that was similar to the typical village fair or festival with food booths, games of skill, etc..

And on stage dancing Samba girls are Japanese style.

Experiencing a matsuri is just great, the truth is that we had pretty well. But it was late and had to rest in our match boxes for the next day. I leave a recorded video on the Matsuri:

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Uploaded by m0rgi0n . - Explore vacations and getaways in video.